I. Allegro non molto

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons: Winter. Tuba player Øystein Baadsvik has arranged Winter in a manner that not only places extreme technical demands upon the soloist but also requires musicality of the highest caliber. With a playful twinkle in his eye, Vivaldi has here vividly depicted winter scenes, such as storms and the throwing of snowballs; he himself explained the music’s meaning in a series of descriptive sonnets. With or without an explanation of their content, however, these concertos have earned a permanent place in the repertoire.
Classics Today 10/10, highest rating.