(2026) Vivaldi and Müller

2025-11-10T11:42:41+01:00

When Seasons Sing – A Wild Tapestry

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On a list of the most well-known classical works, even beyond circles devoted to classical music, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons undoubtedly ranks near the top, alongside Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Yet, this cycle of four three-movement violin concertos enjoys not only enduring popularity among audiences but also serves as a seemingly inexhaustible source of inspiration for composers and musicians alike. Admittedly, even before Vivaldi’s violin concertos were first published in Amsterdam in 1725, composers had already engaged with the themes of seasons and nature: the English composer Christopher Simpson wrote the gamba fantasies The Four Seasons, and as early as the Renaissance, Clément Janequin drew inspiration from birdsong in Le Chant des Oiseaux. Yet it was Vivaldi’s Seasons that swiftly became the lodestar of this early program music. As early as the 18th century, numerous composers adapted the work or parts of it. Michel Corrette, for instance, transformed Spring into a sacred piece, while Nicolas Chédeville arranged it for musette and hurdy-gurdy. To this day, it has been arranged for countless ensembles and instruments, reinterpreted in jazz, film scores, and folk music, and quoted or reimagined in contemporary works. British composer Max Richter even recomposed Vivaldi’s Four Seasons entirely – his Winter now pulses in an irregular, stomping 7/8 rhythm.

Swiss composer Fabian Müller takes a less radical approach. In 2016, on a commission from the Murten Classics Festival, he composed a Prelude and three Intermezzi for violinist Kamilla Schatz, each designed to precede Vivaldi’s violin concertos. Unlike Richter, Müller leaves the original intact, preparing the four concertos with evocative mood-pictures, “rolling out a red carpet for them”, as he puts it. Violinist Silvan Dezini, in this recording, strives to create a pure, unadorned version of The Four Seasons, aiming to render the sonic imagery of both Vivaldi’s and Müller’s compositions as faithfully to nature as possible. To this end, Dezini collaborated closely with Müller: “This helped me understand what Fabian was trying to express with his pieces, and I was able to discover new connections between Vivaldi and Müller.”

The Prelude to Spring opens on the low G string with a garland of triads. Soon, lively dance motifs unfold, at times wild, at times elegiac, eventually giving way to a sustained sonic backdrop over which the solo violin mimics the chirping of birds. Without pause, Vivaldi’s violin concerto follows, where the same birdsong, now in a Baroque context, can be heard again. Listeners will notice other resonances as well, the string tremolos from the first movement, the layered textures of the calm, pastoral middle movement, or the shepherd dances in the third, all of which Müller foreshadows in his own sound language.

Those imagining a carefree Alpine summer in the Swiss mountains, complete with cowbells as in Richard Strauss’s Alpine Symphony, will find themselves mistaken in Vivaldi’s second seasonal concerto. True, he too composes a no less menacing thunderstorm. But Vivaldi’s Summer is far from cheerful: oppressive heat paralyzes man and animals, with cuckoo, dove, and goldfinch unable to change the mood. Only flies and mosquitoes, portrayed by the violins, pester the resting shepherd, while the first thunderclaps, racing sixteenth notes in the strings, herald the coming storm. It is this stifling atmosphere that Müller prepares in his Intermezzo for Summer. Only the middle section is somewhat livelier: in a kind of double preview, we hear the first cuckoo calls over the violin’s rumbling thunder.

The Intermezzo for Autumn similarly anticipates the mood of the concerto that follows. It captures the rustic character of Vivaldi’s Autumn, particularly its final movement, in a playful, spirited waltz, condensed, elevated, and almost exaggeratedly so. Indeed, Vivaldi’s Autumn is thoroughly rustic, as the first stanza of the sonnet – Vivaldi wrote an explanatory sonnet for each season – makes clear:

The peasant celebrates with song and dance
the harvest safely gathered in.
The cup of Bacchus flows freely,
and many find their relief in deep slumber.

The relationship between the original and the additions goes beyond mere mood-painting. Müller, for instance, anticipates the stomping eighth notes and the fifths motif of the third movement, which depicts a hunt.

This is no different in the Intermezzo for Winter. It begins with the same notes as Vivaldi’s Winter and evolves into an a seemingly endless melody for the solo violin, supported by chords in the strings with varied shadings. At the same time, the Winter Intermezzo is the most independent piece in the set. Müller juxtaposes Vivaldi’s dark, dramatic Winter with an equally somber yet distinctly meditative interpretation of the cold season. Unlike Vivaldi, who, living in Venice, likely knew the cold winter mainly through descriptions – his sonnet evokes postcard-like scenes such as trudging through snow, sitting by the fireplace, or skating on a frozen lake – Müller’s Intermezzo makes the biting cold almost palpable, with the cembalo’s tone garlands mimicking the crackling of ice crystals.

The recording is rounded out with another Vivaldi classic, his 19 variations on the Follia model. This dance form, originating in Portugal, served as a melodic-harmonic framework for numerous Baroque composers’ variation movements, including Arcangelo Corelli’s final sonata in his trio sonata collection, Op. 5, from 1700. It inevitably inspired the young Venetian composer, who, five years later, concluded his Opus 1 with a sonata based on this “exuberance” or “madness”, as the Italians called the dance at the time. But whereas Corelli’s version was written for a solo voice with continuo, Vivaldi composed his in a trio setting, with two melodic instruments and continuo. The focus is thus on the virtuosic interplay between the two solo violins, though the bass line often joins in with brilliant imitative passages. Even today, the Follia has lost none of its wild abandon, fitting perfectly into a program where epochs not only meet but break through their boundaries, sometimes sounding just a little wild. Like the seasons, the Follia returns time and again, and within this continuity, there is undoubtedly room for the unexpected and the extravagant, be it a summer storm or tempestuous string passages.

Silvio Badolato

SILVAN DEZINI

The young Swiss violinist Silvan Dezini grew up in Spreitenbach and began playing the violin at the age of seven. He has won multiple first prizes with distinction at competitions, paving the way for numerous solo performances both in Switzerland and abroad, including with the Bavarian Philharmonic and the Franz Schmidt Chamber Orchestra. Dezini also looks back on several concerts alongside the renowned violinist Sebastian Bohren and has performed with the Aargau-based ensemble Chaarts. He has attended masterclasses with distinguished professors such as Igor Ozim, Ana Chumachenko, and Ingolf Turban.

After completing his bachelor’s degree in Classical Music at the Zurich University of the Arts under Andreas Janke, Dezini is now pursuing a master’s in Classical Music Pedagogy at the Bern Academy of the Arts, studying with Bartek Niziol. He performs on a violin crafted by the Milanese Grancino family of luthiers, sourced from a private Swiss collection. Dezini also serves as the artistic director of the Ostinato concert series in the canton of Aargau.

FABIAN MÜLLER

Fabian Müller’s (*1964) works have been premiered by musicians such as David Zinman, Andris Nelsons, Christopher Hogwood, Steven Isserlis, Dame Evelyn Glennie, and Henning Kraggerud, and have been performed in renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Elbphilharmonie, Tonhalle Zürich, and Teatro Colón. He has written commissioned works for, among others, the Lucerne Festival, the Interlaken Music Festival, Cully Classique, and the Vestfold Festspillene.

His opera EIGER (2021/22) was enthusiastically acclaimed by audiences and critics. His family opera Heidi und das Weihnachtswunder (2022/23) also enjoyed great success. Recordings with orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra document his extensive work. In 2024, he was nominated for the OPUS Klassik award in the “Composer of the Year” category. In 2016, he was awarded a “Swiss Music Prize”. In addition to composition and leading festivals (TWICF, Confluence Musikfest), he is also dedicated to folk music: he spent ten years working on the publication of the Hanny Christen Collection.

OSTINATO ENSEMBLE

Sebastian Bohren, Violine 1
Yumiko Huguenin-Dumittan, Violine 2
Markus Fleck, Viola
Andreas Fleck, Violoncello
Catalina Paredes, Kontrabass
Reymond Huguenin-Dumittan, Theorbe
Naoko Matsumoto, Cembalo

REVIEWS

Musik und Theater

"Zahlreich sind die Versuche und Ambitionen, sich Vivaldis «Jahreszeiten» mit den Mitteln heutiger Klangsprachen anzunähern. Fabian Müller lässt sich in seinen vier «Intermezzi », die 2016 für Kamilla Schatz und im Auftrag des Festivals «Murten Classics» entstanden, nicht nur sehr deutlich hörbar von Vivaldis lautmalerischen Ideen leiten, die er auf seine Weise ähnlich suggestiv in Töne fasst, sondern noch fast stärker von der geigerischen Bravour und Souplesse, mit der Venedigs Geigenmeister seine Concerti sehr gerne ausstaffierte. Der junge Schweizer Geiger Silvan Dezini begegnet diesen assoziativen Stimmungsbildern Müllers mit den passenden klangfarblichen Nuancen. Und auch Vivaldis Concerti spielt er mit einer gewissen Objektivität und versucht gar nicht erst, sich im Haifischteich Hunderter existierender Interpretationen sein Original-Gärtchen abzustecken. Klanglich und technisch bewegt er sich auf hohem Niveau, spielt angenehm unaufgeregt und blitzsauber, orientiert sich an den Errungenschaften historisch des informierten Geigenspiels und streut dezent und geschmackvoll kleinere Verzierungen ein. Im solistisch besetzten Begleit-Ensemble übrigens finden sich die Namen illustrer Streicherkollegen: Sebastian Bohren, 1. Violine, Markus Fleck, Viola, Andreas Fleck, Cello." - Reinmar Wagner, Januar 2026

Pizzicato - Supersonic

"Do people still enjoy listening to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, even though they are often played? Here they do, thanks to this exciting recording, which immediately grabs your attention and keeps you interested throughout. The additional pieces also contribute to this. [..] The young Swiss violinist Silvan Dezini performs the violin parts unpretentiously and elegantly, making it a pure joy to listen to. Technically far from his limits, he presents the solos with charming understatement of his abilities. The accompanists offer a highly appealing approach, also through their soloistic playing style, which supports the fascinating ease of the interpretation and does not remain stuck in brittle participation." - Uwe Krusch, February 2026

AZM (Interview)

"[..] Einem jungen Musiker fällt nichts in den Schoss Und so ist es denn, nicht über Nacht, sondern wohldurchdacht, gekommen, dass Dezini Vivaldis Komposition und Müllers Prélude - eine CD-Weltpremiere - sowie dessen drei Intermezzi eingespielt hat. Fabian Müllers kurze Kompositionen kommentieren und bereiten jeweils die barocken Saisons vor: daraus resultiert ein überraschend frischer Blick auf eine Musik, die Barock und Moderne auf packende Weise vereint. Mit seiner ersten CD wollte Silvan Dezini «etwas Bekanntes machen für ein breites Publikum. Mit der Zeit möchte ich mich aber auf jeden Fall an andere, schwierigere Komponisten und Kombinationen wagen. » Vorerst jedenfalls begibt sich der junge Geiger mit seiner ersten «musikalischen Visitenkarte offiziell auf den Markt», wie er lächelnd anmerkt. Allerdings: Einfach in den Schoss fällt einem jungen Musiker nichts – schon gar keine CDAufnahme bei einem Label wie Claves, das einen klangvollen Namen hat. «Als Künstler muss man immer selber aktiv sein; man muss ein Spinnennetz um sich weben. [..]" - Elisabeth Feller, Dezember 2025

Tages-Anzeiger

"Zwei Geiger, eine besondere Freundschaft und ein gemeinsames Ziel Mit dem Programm «Solo per Due» treffen sich Silvan Dezini und Sebastian Bohren als musikalische Partner auf der Bühne und feiern einen wichtigen Meilenstein: Der 25-jährige Geiger aus Spreitenbach präsentiert seine erste CD, aufgenommen mit dem Ostinato Ensemble, das er 2022 selbst gegründet hat. Besonders bemerkenswert: Auch Sebastian Bohren, Dezinis ehemaliger Lehrer und langjähriger Mentor, spielt bei diesem Projekt mit. Silvan Dezini gehört zu den spannendsten jungen Geigern der Schweiz. Mit sieben Jahren entdeckte er seine Leidenschaft für die Violine – eine ungewöhnliche Wahl in einer nicht musikalisch geprägten Familie. Heute blickt er auf zahlreiche Preise, solistische Auftritte mit renommierten Orchestern und ein mit Bestnote abgeschlossenes Bachelorstudium an der Zürcher Hochschule der Künste zurück. Derzeit absolviert er an der Hochschule der Künste Bern den Master in Pädagogik. Mit seiner im November 2025 erscheinenden CD widmet sich Dezini Vivaldis «Vier Jahreszeiten», interpretiert gemeinsam mit dem Ostinato Ensemble. [..] - Sebastian Bohren, Februar 2026

Rundschau Nord

"[..] Selbstzweifel überwinden. Die Aufnahme seines Debütalbums markiert einen wichtigen Schritt im Werdegang des jungen Geigers. «Diese CD ist auch eine Art Visitenkarte für mich als Musiker, von der ich mir erhoffe, dass sie mir neue Türen öffnen wird», bekräftigt Dezini, der viel Zeit und Mühen in das Projekt investiert und dabei auch von Selbstzweifeln nicht verschont geblieben ist. «Ich habe mich hin und wieder gefragt, ob ich überhaupt gut genug bin und ob es mir zusteht, eine CD zu veröffentlichen », gesteht er. «In diesen Momenten konnte ich mich aber auf die Unterstützung meines Umfelds verlassen.» Bis zur fertigen Aufnahme war sich Silvan Dezini selbst der schärfste Kritiker: «Natürlich sucht man dabei immer nach Möglichkeiten, sich noch zu verbessern und noch etwas mehr aus sich herauszuholen.» Erst mit etwas zeitlichem Abstand habe er sich erlaubt, seine Arbeit grosszügiger zu beurteilen. «Schlussendlich bin ichmit dem Ergebnis sehr zufrieden.» [..]" - Simon Meyer, Februar 2026

Ritmo

"Al enriquecer el mundo del sonido barroco con material musical contemporáneo, crea un diálogo convincente entre el pasado y el presente, ampliando la percepción del oyente de cada Estación vivaldiana" - Blanca Gallego, March 2026