Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
The Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is one of the classic showpieces of the violin repertoire, and possibly Saint-Saëns most famous work regardless of genre. First performed in 1867 and dedicated to famed virtuoso and composer Pablo de Sarasate, Saint-Saëns intended it to be the final movement of his first violin concerto, hence the “rondo” of the title which is the typical form of a concerto finale, but the success of the single movement at the first performance led him to publish it as an independent piece. The music unfolds with a 36 bar introduction, marked andante malinconico, that gradually builds in momentum and intensity approaching the first statement of the rondo theme. Saint-Saëns sends the soloist through all kinds of technical challenges as the music diverges from and returns to the main theme, culminating in a brilliant ending in A major with intricate scalar passages traversing the full range of the violin.
Ravel Tzigane
Tzigane is one of only three completed concertante works by Ravel, the other two being his piano concertos. The result of meeting the Hungarian violinist Jelly d’Aranyi in 1924, Tzigane is an assemblage of virtuosic fireworks inspired by Hungarian folk music that utilizes Hungarian modes and rhythms, though there are actually no authentic folk melodies. Always an innovator, Ravel employed a new attachment to the piano called the luthéal in the first version of Tzigane for violin and piano, which through the use of several stops could change the timbre of a normal piano evoking the sound of a cimbalom as in traditional folk music. Ravel subsequently orchestrated the piano part as this device never achieved mainstream use, and thereby further developed his timbral ideas through the orchestra. Structurally and conceptually, Tzigane has much in common with the Hungarian Rhapsodies of Franz Liszt, which are also virtuosic show pieces based on Hungarian themes. The music begins with an introduction, or lassan, full of improvisatory figures in the form of quick repetitions of notes, trills, runs and harmonics, followed by a series of sections which Ravel called “a string of successive variations juxtaposed without development.” The music explores many varied ideas both technical and musical, always looking ahead and always looking to engage the listener with new colors and techniques.
Sarasate Navarra
Pablo de Sarasate was born in 1844 in Navarre, part of the Basque region in northern Spain. He was recognized as a major talent on the violin from an early age and throughout his career contributed a great deal to the repertoire and technique of the violin. Navarra was composed in 1889 as a tribute to his hometown, and makes use of traditional elements from native culture of Navarre. The music is in the style of a jota, which is an upbeat dance in 3/8 metre, and often performed with castanets. Sarasate captures the important characteristics of this style treating the two violin soloists as apparent dance partners to the accompaniment of the orchestra. The music is treated with all manner of virtuosic techniques, deftly creating a musical analogue to the dance which is most often presented in flowing costumes.
Vivaldi Concerto for 4 Violins in B Minor
The Concerto for Four Violins in B Minor is the tenth of a set of twelve concertos for string instruments titled the Harmonic Inspiration that Vivaldi composed in 1711. The concertos are arranged in groups of three where the first of each is a concerto for four violins, the second a concerto for two violins, and the third for solo violin. In this concerto for four violins, the focus is on the complex interplay of the soloists, where figurations are constantly traded and reinterpreted. The result is something like a woven tapestry of sound, more oriented toward textural interest than melodic expression. The second movement is particularly interesting in this respect as the middle section is comprised of four different arpeggio patterns superimposed creating a beautifully shifting harmonic progression before the fiery third movement.
Mozart Symphony No. 39 K. 543
Mozart composed his Symphony Nos. 39 - 41 in 1788 to uncertain performance prospects due to the oncoming Austro-Turkish War, and in this light there is a lack of evidence he heard this work in his lifetime. This was an unusual situation for Mozart who mostly composed with clear deadline, so one can speculate on the effect of this uncertainty on his creative mind. In the case of the Symphony No. 39 in E Flat Major, Mozart deviated from several of his usual practices, for example employing clarinets instead of oboes, as well as beginning the first movement with a grand and slow introduction before the Allegro kicks in. The succeeding music is at times driving and forceful, as well as gentle and lyrical, setting the stage for a characteristically broad expressive pallet. The second movement, marked Andante con Moto, juxtaposes a soft and spacious first theme with a larger syncopated middle section, exploring the space between light and dark. The third movement is a typical Mozartian Minuet, managing to fit multiple memorable phrases within a taut structure. The Finale is bright, energetic, and harmonically adventurous, placing skillful modulations within the quickly changing texture that add effective splashes of color in what could easily have been an overly repetitive movement. In yet another uncharacteristic turn, Mozart ends the work without strong, punctuative chords, choosing to let the music run away with the movement’s ever-present sixteenth-note motif.
Mozart Symphony No. 39 K. 543
Mozart composed his Symphony Nos. 39 - 41 in 1788 to uncertain performance prospects due to the oncoming Austro-Turkish War, and in this light there is a lack of evidence he heard this work in his lifetime. This was an unusual situation for Mozart who mostly composed with clear deadline, so one can speculate on the effect of this uncertainty on his creative mind. In the case of the Symphony No. 39 in E Flat Major, Mozart deviated from several of his usual practices, for example employing clarinets instead of oboes, as well as beginning the first movement with a grand and slow introduction before the Allegro kicks in. The succeeding music is at times driving and forceful, as well as gentle and lyrical, setting the stage for a characteristically broad expressive pallet. The second movement, marked Andante con Moto, juxtaposes a soft and spacious first theme with a larger syncopated middle section, exploring the space between light and dark. The third movement is a typical Mozartian Minuet, managing to fit multiple memorable phrases within a taut structure. The Finale is bright, energetic, and harmonically adventurous, placing skillful modulations within the quickly changing texture that add effective splashes of color in what could easily have been an overly repetitive movement. In yet another uncharacteristic turn, Mozart ends the work without strong, punctuative chords, choosing to let the music run away with the movement’s ever-present sixteenth-note motif.
