Vivaldi Four Seasons editions.

July 23, 2015 at 09:08 AM · I feel uneasy about editions of Baroque music that have printed fingerings - that's too much editorial input for my liking, and some of it very suspect. I believe the player is much better off thinking about and working out his/her fingering because it is such an individual matter. Look at an urtext Baroque score and you will see a refreshing lack of fingering and bowing, and dynamics will mostly be the occasional F or P. Generally, I think it is best to learn a Baroque concerto from the full score, because only then can one fully understand the interaction between the soloist and orchestra and be aware of everything that's going on.

I think one should decide first of all whether to go for a Baroque interpretation or a more modern, Romantic one, because the choice will markedly influence the fingering and bowing. Having said that, to my mind there is enough drama in Vivaldi played a la Baroque to satisfy anyone.

July 23, 2015 at 11:34 AM · There's the Ricordi edition which is pretty much unmarked.

July 23, 2015 at 01:51 PM · I'm currently learning Vivaldi's RV277 (Op 11 nr 2, E minor), using the Ricordi Edition orchestral score. This edition of Vivaldi's works is apparently based on the original manuscripts but with editorial amendments (mainly suggested bowings, alternative readings, and some dynamics) which are usefully enclosed in parentheses, so there is no doubt what they are.

July 23, 2015 at 01:51 PM · People always say "get the urtext". But sometimes one just wants some fingering and bowing suggestions and maybe doesn't have a lesson scheduled for a while. Presumably the person who wrote the edition went through and thought about what would be good.

With baroque music, I think there have been some changes in generally accepted interpretations, so it's possible that many of the editions from the 1960s and so on will be considered outdated. I think if you watch you'll see new and increasingly scholarly editions coming out with some regularity.

Another thing to remember is that just because an edition says "Galamian" on the front does not mean that the fingerings and bowings would be the same as if you had lessons with Galamian. When my teacher helps me mark fingerings and bowings into a new piece, I can tell where he has markings that he's made in virtually every student's part. The rest is much more individual. Many times I studied the same piece before or after my daughter (same teacher) and things would get changed quite a bit. I usually arrive to the lesson with some of my own ideas as well as questions. Part of the fun for me is trying to anticipate what he will say.

All concertos benefit from a study of the score. Whether that benefit is greater for baroque concertos is debatable, but I think it does help with the Four Seasons. Whether you need the orchestral score or whether you can learn 95% of what you need to from a piano reduction is also debatable. You can always listen to (and watch) Julia Fischer (with chamber orchestra, wonderful videos available on youtube) while you have the piano score in your lap.

Regarding the Four Seasons, all the accompanists that I know, including some professional pianists, simplify the Four Seasons reductions. For example in the first movement of "Summer" many of the sixteenth notes can be simplified to eighths and it sounds cleaner with the violin. Trying to match all those 16ths with the violin would require way too much rehearsal.