Soundtracks:
A Month in the Country
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Violin Concerto in E minor Opus 64
On March 15th, 1845, one of the most beautiful pieces in the violin
repertory was first played, in Gewandhaus, Leipzig. Mendelssohn's Violin
Concerto will become one of the performance tests for violinists on their
way to glory, and its fascinating beauty will make classical music lovers
rate it again and again highly on their favorites. The work was dedicated
to virtuoso violin player Ferdinand David, and he is the one who played
the solo violin part on opening night. He also gave Mendelssohn some technical
advice during the writing and only after his approval, did the composer
introduce some extremely difficult elements such as hard arpeggios, trills
and playing double strings.
The work itself never ceases to surprise. Unlike any other concerto,
this one opens with the solo violin part, and only later does the orchestra
join on the second theme, and the solo violinist accompanies it with a
constant sound, versus the melody played in the woodwinds. The cadenza,
that solo section of the violin, which usually comes at the end of the
concerto's first movement, comes, in this exceptional piece, in the middle
of the movement. Now comes the repeatition of the first part (the reprise)
and the ending (coda), giving full expression of the violin's virtuosity.
At the end of the movement, the bassoon enters with a long, non-stop note,
connecting us to the second movement.
The second movement, Andante, is opened with a soft and emotional playing
in C major, after which an A minor interlude - a very lively section, and
in its conclusion, the opening tune returns, and then a direct passage
to the last movement.
The final movement, Allegro molto vivace, is full of life and color
and it returns to the opening melody of the violin, as the violinist plays
variations on its every sound.
Alongside Beethoven's and Brahms's violin concerti, that of Mendelssohn
is considered one of the greatest. And unlike those of Beethoven and Brahms,
built as large-scale symphonic works with a solo violin, Mendelssohn wrote
his concerto as a piece for a solo violin with orchestral accompaniment.
This is Mendelssohn's unique idea and the reason why the best of violinists
have topped themselves performing this concerto, and perceived it a true
test of their artistic ability.
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