jmc's classics
December Fourth is the anniversary of the premier of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D (Opus#35) in 1881 in Vienna Austria. Today it is one of the most beloved violin concertos. However, in 1881 when it premiered the critics did not like it. This time of year, everybody usually hears Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite (Opus#71) along with his 1812 Overture (Opus#49) these are his most famous works. This is also a very demanding piece of music for the soloist. It is not as flashy as some other violin concertos. It is a more sober work.
The work was completed in 1878. He composed in in 1878 in Clarin, Switzerland where he was vacationing to get over a bout of depression. at that time Russians used to visit and vacation in Switzerland. After the Russian Revolution, Switzerland received a large number of Russian refugees. The composer wanted to dedicate this piece to Russian Czech violinist Joseph Kotek. for various reasons he decided instead to dedicate it to Russian violinist Adolph Brodsky. Tchaikovsky had bouts with depression during his life. When he stated working on the violin concerto, he had just come out of a failed marriage. There are many stories about Tchaikovsky's life. he had a failed marriage. He had a benefactor Nadezhda Von Meck who supported him for 13 years and he never met. She was a supporter of the arts. She was also a supporter of Claude Debussy. Tchaikovsky dedicated his Fourth Symphony (Opus#36) to Von Meck. In 1890 she abruptly cut off support to Tchaikovsky. This piece is divided in to the standard three movements: Allegro moderato, Cadenza andante and Allegro vivacissmo. He wrote several other pieces for solo violin and orchestra. My favorite is the Serenade Melancholique (Opus#26). There are many excellent recordings of this concerto. The on which I have is of Canadian violist Leila Josefowicz as the soloist with the Academy of St. Martin in the fields conducted by Neville Marriner on the Phillips label. It is coupled with Sibelius' Violin Concerto (Opus#47). I recommend this recording. for both works. Sibelius's Violin Concerto is also demanding on the performer. I have several other versions of this work. I was looking for recordings of other violin concertos which were coupled with the Sibelius concerto. Sometimes it is not hard to get more copies of one specific classical work.
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