Antonio Vivaldi — Four Seasons

{Instrumental} Sonnet in English (translated from Italian): Springtime is upon us The birds celebrate her return with festive song And murmuring streams are Softly caressed by the breezes Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar Casting their dark mantle over heaven Then they die away to silence And the birds take up their charming songs once more Largo On the flower-strewn meadow, with leafy branches Rustling overhead, the goat-herd sleeps His faithful dog beside him Allegro Led by the festive sound of rustic bagpipes Nymphs and shepherds lightly dance Beneath the brilliant canopy of spring Under a hard season, fired up by the sun Languishes man, languishes the flock and burns the pine We hear the cuckoo's voice; Then sweet songs of the turtledove and finch are heard Soft breezes stir the air, but threatening The North Wind sweeps them suddenly aside The shepherd trembles Fearing violent storms and his fate Adagio e piano - Presto e forte The fear of lightning and fierce thunder Robs his tired limbs of rest As gnats and flies buzz furiously around Presto Alas, his fears were justified The Heavens thunder and roar and with hail Cut the head off the wheat and damages the grain Celebrates the peasant, with songs and dances The pleasure of a bountiful harvest And fired up by Bacchus' liquor Many end their revelry in sleep Adagio molto Everyone is made to forget their cares and to sing and dance By the air which is tempered with pleasure And (by) the season that invites so many, many Out of their sweetest slumber to fine enjoyment Allegro The hunters emerge at the new dawn And with horns and dogs and guns depart upon their hunting The beast flees and they follow its trail; Terrified and tired of the great noise Of guns and dogs, the beast, wounded, threatens Languidly to flee, but harried, dies To tremble from cold in the icy snow In the harsh breath of a horrid wind; To run, stamping one's feet every moment Our teeth chattering in the extreme cold Largo Before the fire to pass peaceful Contented days while the rain outside pours down Allegro We tread the icy path slowly and cautiously For fear of tripping and falling Then turn abruptly, slip, crash on the ground and Rising, hasten on across the ice lest it cracks up We feel the chill north winds course through the home Despite the locked and bolted doors... This is winter, which nonetheless Brings its own delights