Violin Concerto (Korngold)
The
Violin Concerto in D major,
op. 35, was composed by
Erich Wolfgang Korngold in
1945 following some initial persuasion from the
violinist and fellow
émigré Bronisław Huberman. Dedicated to
Alma Mahler, the widow of Korngold's childhood mentor
Gustav Mahler, the
violin concerto was eventually premiered on
February 15,
1947 by
Jascha Heifetz, accompanied by the
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and
conductor Vladimir Golschmann. Heifetz's performance launched the work into the standard repertoire, which quickly became Korngold's most popular piece. However, the fame of the violin concerto, combined with Korngold's eminent association with
Hollywood film music, has helped obscure the rest of his legacy as a composer of concert-hall works written before and after his arrival in
America.
Working in the lush, lyrical idiom reminiscent of
fin de siècle Vienna, Korngold
scored the concerto for elaborate instrumental forces. In addition to the solo
violin, the concerto calls for
piccolo, two
flutes, two
oboes,
cor anglais, two
clarinets,
bass clarinet, two
bassoons,
contrabassoon, four
horns, two
trumpets, three
trombones,
harp,
strings, as well as a colorful
percussion section of
timpani,
bass drum,
gong,
bells,
chime,
cymbals,
vibraphone,
xylophone, and
celesta. Although, Korngold was credited with introducing the sophisticated musical language of his classical training to the soundscapes of Hollywood films, a kind of reverse inspiration also occurred. Like many of Korngold's "serious" works in traditional genres, the violin concerto borrows
thematic material from his movie scores in each of its three
movements:
Moderato nobile: The magnificent soaring violin solo which opens the concerto is a theme from
Another Dawn (1937), running over two
octaves in five
notes.
Juarez (1939) provided the second theme, more expansive and reliant upon the
orchestra.
Romanze: A solo clarinet introduces the principal theme of the slow movement, quoted from
Anthony Adverse (1936) and revisited after a contrasting middle section that seems to have been uniquely composed for the concerto.
Allegro assai vivace: The most demanding movement for the soloist begins with a
staccato jig, which leads to a second theme based on the main
motif from
The Prince and the Pauper (1937) and builds up to a
virtuoso climax.A typical performance lasts about 25 minutes.
Tchaikovsky's
Violin Concerto (1878) shares the same
key and
opus number with the Korngold.
*
American Symphony Orchestra program notes, September 20, 1992*
National Symphony Orchestra program notes, February 3-5, 2005*
Pacific Symphony Orchestra program notes, January 17, 2001
