This is the closing chapter in Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, a cycle of four violin concertos each inspired by an Italian sonnet whose mostly pastoral scenes the composer attempts to describe in the music. This Concerto in F minor is subtitled "Winter" and, not surprisingly, contains the least ebullient music—music that at times even takes on a dark expressive manner. That said, it still has its share of bright sounds and happy moods—the second movement brims with the kind of sweet lyricism to make the listener long for snow-covered scenery and a warm fireplace.

Cast in three movements, this Concerto, at about nine minutes in duration, is the shortest of the four. The first movement, marked Allegro non molto, opens with a troubled rhythmic idea, as staccato chords grow more anxious and louder as they progress, the composer depicting the coldness and unpleasantness of winter, as described in the sonnet. The writing for solo violin is brilliant and is said to convey the chill of the winter winds. Most of the opening panel expresses the darker, nastier side of winter.

The second movement, Largo, however, shows its more intimate and sweeter side, as the lovely singing music depicts people warming themselves by a fire while a cold rain falls outside—in Vivaldi's Italy, winter rarely produced snow. The Allegro finale begins slowly, as the violin soloist plays tentatively, as if to convey one's bracing for the cold. Gradually the music comes to life, but with frosty swirls and the wind howling and chilling. The pacing slows in the latter half as another dark mood threatens to overtake the proceedings, but the music suddenly springs to life with great vigor and the work ends in a positive, if somewhat tense mood.

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