'Il gardellino' and 'La tempesta di mare' are among the nicknames for flute concertos by which composer?

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was an Italian composer of many instrumental concertos, choral works and more than fifty operas. Whilst his best-known work is a series of violin concertos called the 'Four Seasons', Vivaldi also composed concertos for other instruments, such as the flute.

'La tempesta di mare' (The Sea Storm) and 'Il gardellino' (The Goldfinch) come from a series of six flute concertos (Opus 10) published in 1728. 'La tempesta di mare' is the first of the six, comprised of three movements. It is played in the key of F major and gives a musical impression of a storm, which was a popular theme in the baroque music of the early 18th century.

'Il gardellino' is the third concerto and also comprises of three movements, but it is played in the key of D major. Typically, D major is more suitable for the violin than the flute, yet Vivaldi wrote his flute concertos in various keys. This concerto famously featured a section for the piccolo, a half-sized flute.

The only other flute concerto in Vivaldi's Opus 10 with a nickname is 'La notte' (The Night), in G minor. It is the second concerto and is composed of six movements.

Vivaldi wrote more than 400 concertos for various instruments, but typically favoured the violin. He was famous throughout Europe, and musicians coming to Venice in Italy often visited Vivaldi for lessons.

Despite his popularity, Vivaldi did not make a lot of money from his music and died a poor man on 28th July 1741.