I’ve known of “The Vivaldi Concerto” in Suzuki Book Four for a long time – a Youtube video I watched quite early in my musical journey referenced it in an off-handed way prior to me knowing much of anything about Suzuki or music in general.  But I do my homework and tend to read well ahead, so I’ve known for quite a while that it’s Vivaldi’s Concerto in A Minor – Suzuki Book Four includes the first and the third movements, then Book Five comes back for the second.

I’m still feeling precarious about all the double stops and the lovely long slurs of the third of three Seitz Concerto Movements I’ve been working on, but in Tuesday’s lesson Teacher declared me ready to move on to the Vivaldi Concerto.  Like a good Suzuki Kid, I’ve been listening to it for a long time – it’s beautiful, and it’s the first darn serious piece of music I’ve encountered.  While it’s true that the three Seitz pieces I’ve just worked through are concerto movements, their German titles indicate they are “Student Concertos.”  In contrast, the other night I watched Perlman play Vivaldi’s Concerto in A Minor on a Youtube video.

The concerto starts in third position straightaway; it feels wonderful to finally start to play the thing after anticipating it for so long.  The first movement is beautiful, and to my ears the third movement to come is even more so – I will be having fun with Vivaldi for a long time.  I started with Seitz almost a year ago – looking back it was mid-June when I began them.  The Seitz movements are jaunty and fun; the Vivaldi concerto is dead serious, dark at times, but ultimately triumphant and even laced with awe.  What a treat.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan