retreat, this time joined by Iosef Kotek, a violinist and former composition
student. Together they played through major works of violin repertoire,
a process that sparked in Tchaikovsky a “burning inspiration”
to compose a violin concerto.
It took Tchaikovsky only 25 days to complete the concerto, including
the orchestration. Kotek proved an indispensable assistant,
trying out the solo parts and allowing Tchaikovsky to hear and reshape
passages as needed. Tchaikovsky considered having Kotek
to Leopold Auer, a Hungarian virtuoso based in Saint Petersburg.
Auer, however, found aspects of the work unplayable (or at least
too technically awkward to sound good), and Tchaikovsky was
forced to cancel the scheduled premiere and look for another soloist.
The work did not reach the public until an 1881 performance
in Vienna by Adolph Brodsky, to whom Tchaikovsky rededicated
the score. In time, violinists—even Auer, eventually—warmed to
-
come essential repertoire for all serious soloists.
As impressive as the rapid passagework may be, it is the luscious
melodies that make Tchaikovsky’s concerto a perennial favorite.
The opening movement frames the violin’s seductive themes in a
grand and spacious form, including a cadenza that arrives early (in
the manner of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto) to usher in a sweet
recapitulation.
The second movement is a nostalgic Canzonetta, or “little song.”
Tchaikovsky wrote this movement to replace a discarded version
of the slow movement, which he recycled a few months later in a
work for violin and piano, Souvenir d’un lieu cher (“Memory of a Dear
into a suspenseful solo cadenza. In the Allegro vivacissimo body of
the movement, the violin blazes through thrilling pyrotechnics and
several contrasting themes en route to a breathless conclusion.
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 1830
HECTOR BERLIOZ
Born December 11, 1803 in La Côte-Saint-André, France
Died March 8, 1869 in Paris, France
| CHARLESTON GAILLARD CENTER: 2018-2019 SEASON PROGRAM: SPRING