Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery CD

A young violinist, Katarina, arrives at the Pietà orphanage in Venice where Antonio Vivaldi was the music director. The only clue to her family heritage is a ring left with her as a baby. In a touching final scene, a masked stranger united the young girl with her family and Katarina finds herself with some life-changing decisions to make. Features over twenty-four excerpts from the composer's best-known works including The Four Seasons, The Double Trumpet Concerto, "La Notte", Violin Concerto in A, The Piccolo Concerto, and "Il Gardelino".

Each audio is a unique combination of music, history and dramatic story-telling, designed to both introduce children to the composers and their music. Each story includes at least one child interacting with the composer, helping the younger set to identify with a character and get a better feel for the historical time period. Trials and triumphs of the great composers are experienced. Stories are based on historical fact. Unlike the Music Masters series, which uses a narrator between musical excerpts to tell you about the composer's life, these tapes use actors and dramatization to bring the story alive. Each composer's music is featured throughout the tape, giving children a taste of their best-loved pieces. All have won Parents' choice awards and other musical awards.

Teacher Notes include additional background information, discussion topics, activity ideas and suggestions for exploring the music.