The Classics Explained series explores, in words and music, the major classical works of the concert hall. In an accessible and lively manner, Jeremy Siepmann looks at the history and the form of the great masterpieces of Western music.

The Four Seasons is one of the most popular classical works ever written - four violin concertos, each capturing moods and illustrating stories related to a specific time of year. After 300 years, their melodies continue to thrill and seduce, their harmonies to haunt and excite, their tone-paintings to ravish the ear and inspire the imagination. But how do they work their particular magic? Why have they succeeded where others have failed? In this voyage of discovery, each movement is preceded by a lively exploration of its means with the help of many examples and useful analogies.

Jeremy Siepmann, in his engaging analysis of The Four Seasons, starts: 'One of the hardiest of all clichés where music is concerned is the claim that Vivaldi didn't write hundreds of concertos but one concerto hundreds of times. It ain't true'. You may know how The Four Seasons goes - the tunes and the exciting moments - but do you know how it is put together? Though the four concertos are each based on the standard three-movement concerto pattern (fast-slow-fast) how does Vivaldi inject all that pace and colour? Jeremy Siepmann explains.