In the first of four programmes across 2025 marking the 300th anniversary of the publication of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Hannah French explores the Violin Concerto in F minor, RV297 - better known as Winter.

From the trembling, teeth-chattering cold of the first movement to the fireside warmth of the second and the slippery ice and chill winds of the last, in this concerto Vivaldi vividly depicts the harsh brutality of the Venetian winter. Hannah considers the context and inspirations for the music, and shares other early music influenced by the season of frost and darkness. She talks to violinist Daniel Pioro, whose new recording of The Four Seasons couples Vivaldi's music with new poetry by Michael Morpurgo, about what Vivaldi's Winter means to him. And she sends us a sonic snapshot from a recent trip to the Venetian Lagoon, which completely froze over in the brutal winter of 1709 to devastating effect to local communities.

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