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Les 4 Saisons album cover

Album guide

Les 4 Saisons

Raymond Fol

Composer
Vivaldi
Released
2001
Label
Gitanes Jazz Productions
Forces
Big band, Piano, Saxophone, Vibraphone
Personnel
Raymond Fol piano, celesta, arranger and conductor, with the Raymond Fol Big Band; featuring Johnny Griffin tenor saxophone, Sadi vibraphone, Jimmy Woode bass and Art Taylor drums

Raymond Fol recorded his big-band Four Seasons in Paris during a week in July 1965. Most of the orchestra was French, joined by three American expatriates: Johnny Griffin on tenor saxophone, Jimmy Woode on bass and Art Taylor on drums.

Fol gives each season a different climate. Spring picks up an Afro-Cuban pulse, Autumn swings, and Winter moves from cool jazz into Latin rhythm, with Pierre Cullaz’s guitar and Fats Sadi’s vibraphone adding further colours. The Philips recording disappeared from view for years before returning in Universal’s Jazz in Paris series.

Hear both

The classical side contains only the source pieces used on the album, in album order. The jazz side presents the complete album whenever a dependable copy can be embedded.

The originalsVivaldi · classical source works

The listening queues above follow the same order. The classical player omits tracks that are not based on a classical original.

Jazzed upRaymond Fol · 2001
Open full album in Spotify

Spotify’s player is here for convenience; the full track listing below remains available to everyone.

Source works

The album’s complete track listing, with each classical source identified and original compositions marked plainly.

  1. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 1 Le printemps: 1. AllegroThe Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in E major, Op. 8 No. 1, RV 269 ‘La primavera’: I. Allegro
  2. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 1 Le printemps: 2. LargoThe Four Seasons, RV 269 ‘La primavera’: II. Largo
  3. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 1 Le printemps: 3. AllegroThe Four Seasons, RV 269 ‘La primavera’: III. Allegro (Danza pastorale)
  4. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 2 L’été: 1. Allegro non moltoThe Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 8 No. 2, RV 315 ‘L’estate’: I. Allegro non molto
  5. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 2 L’été: 2. AdagioThe Four Seasons, RV 315 ‘L’estate’: II. Adagio e piano – Presto e forte
  6. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 2 L’été: 3. PrestoThe Four Seasons, RV 315 ‘L’estate’: III. Presto
  7. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 3 L’automne: 1. AllegroThe Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in F major, Op. 8 No. 3, RV 293 ‘L’autunno’: I. Allegro
  8. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 3 L’automne: Adagio moltoThe Four Seasons, RV 293 ‘L’autunno’: II. Adagio molto
  9. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 3 L’automne: 3. AllegroThe Four Seasons, RV 293 ‘L’autunno’: III. Allegro (La caccia)
  10. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 4 L’hiver: 1. Allegro non moltoThe Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in F minor, Op. 8 No. 4, RV 297 ‘L’inverno’: I. Allegro non molto
  11. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 4 L’hiver: 2. LargoThe Four Seasons, RV 297 ‘L’inverno’: II. Largo
  12. Les 4 saisons, Concerto No. 4 L’hiver: 3. AllegroThe Four Seasons, RV 297 ‘L’inverno’: III. Allegro