Violin Concerto (Britten)
Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto, Op. 15, was written from 1938 to 1939 and dedicated to Henry Boys, his former teacher at RCM.[1] It was premiered in New York, on 29 March 1940 by the Spanish violinist Antonio Brosa with the New York Philharmonic conducted by John Barbirolli. A revised version of the concerto appeared in the 1950s, including alterations of the solo violin part prepared with the assistance of Manoug Parikian.
Instrumentation
The concerto is scored for solo violin and an orchestra of three flutes (second and third flutes doubling piccolo), two oboes (second oboe doubling cor anglais), two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (glockenspiel, cymbals, triangle, bass drum, side drum, tenor drum), harp and strings.
Structure
The concerto is written in three movements:
- Moderato con moto – Agitato – Tempo primo –
- Vivace – Animando – Largamente – Cadenza –
- Passacaglia: Andante lento (Un poco meno mosso)
This form, although in three movements, is highly unlike that of concertos from the Classical and Romantic eras. First used in the First Violin Concerto of Sergei Prokofiev, this design is also evident in the concertos of William Walton.
Analysis
The work opens with a series of timpani strokes, a reminder perhaps of Beethoven's Violin Concerto. The rhythm is taken up by the bassoon and other instruments, persisting as an ostinato throughout the entire work. The violin enters with a song-like lament, soaring above the orchestra. The music is soon interrupted by a more militaristic and percussive secondary theme.
The ensuing second movement, cast as a wild, moto perpetuo scherzo, unmistakably recalls Prokofiev. The movement culminates in an impressive cadenza which, while recalling musical material from both the first and second movements, acts as an organic link straight into the finale.
As the finale, Britten uses a passacaglia: a set of variations on a ground bass, in the tradition of the Baroque chaconnes by Purcell and Bach. The ground bass, tonally unstable, is initially introduced by the trombone, as the violin recalls its lyrical theme from the first movement. Individual variations unfold, taking up characters of song, dance, capriccio and march. By the end, the ground bass is reduced to chant-like reminiscences; the orchestra leaves hints of an unmistakable D major chord, while the soloist is left undecided in a trill between the notes F-natural and G flat.[2]
Discography
| Year | Soloist | Conductor Orchestra | Format: Record label Catalogue Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | Antonio Brosa | Ian Whyte, BBC Scottish Orchestra (9 Apr.1952) | Audio LP: Stereo Records & Tapes Cat: SRT/Custom 009 (private release) |
| 1960s | Nikola Grumlikova | Peter Maag, Prague Symphony Orchestra (1964) | Audio CD: Supraphon Cat: 1106532 (1991) |
| 1970s | Ruggiero Ricci | G.Brott, SWF Sinfonie Orchester (live - doubtful venue, conductor and orchestra) | Audio CD: One-Eleven Cat: EPR-96020 (1996) |
| 1970 | Mark Lubotsky | Benjamin Britten, English Chamber Orchestra | Audio CD: Decca Cat: 417 308-2 |
| 1974 | Rodney Friend | John Pritchard, London Philharmonic Orchestra | Audio LP: EMI Cat: CFP 40250 |
| 1977 | Ida Haendel | Paavo Berglund, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra |
Audio LP: EMI |
| 1996 | Serguei Azizian | Osmo Vänskä, Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra | Audio CD: Alto Cat: BAX3661 (2013) |
| 1997 | Rebecca Hirsch | Takuo Yuasa, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra | Audio CD: Naxos Cat: 8.553882 |
| 2001 | Lydia Mordkovitch | Richard Hickox, BBC Symphony Orchestra | Audio CD: Chandos Cat: CHAN 9910 |
| 2003 | Maxim Vengerov | Mstislav Rostropovich, London Symphony Orchestra | Audio CD: EMI Classics Cat: 0724355751027 |
| 2004 | Frank Peter Zimmermann | Manfred Honeck, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra | Audio CD: Sony Cat: S70316C 88697439992 |
| 2005 | Daniel Hope | Paul Watkins, BBC Symphony Orchestra | Audio CD: Warner Classics Cat: 2564-60291-2 |
| 2009 | Janine Jansen | Paavo Järvi, London Symphony Orchestra | Audio CD: Decca Cat: 000289 478 1530 3 |
| 2011 | Wanda Wiłkomirska | Witold Rowicki, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra | Audio CD: Orchestral Concert CDs Cat: CD12/2011 |
| 2012 | Anthony Marwood | Ilan Volkov, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra | Audio CD: Hyperion Cat: CDA67801 |
| 2013 | James Ehnes | Kirill Karabits, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra | Audio CD: Onyx Cat: BBX2835 (2012) |
| 2014 | Gil Shaham | Juanjo Mena, | Audio CD: Canary Classics,
Cat: CC12 |
| 2016 | Vilde Frang | James Gaffigan, | Audio CD: Warner Classics Cat: 0825646009213 |
References
- ↑ Henry Boys - Musician, teacher, writer on music
- ↑ Paul Kildea, ed. (2008). Britten on Music, p. 365. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
