Joshua Bell (violin)
Camerata Salzburg
Roger Norrington (conductor)
Itzhak Perlman (violin)
Philharmonia
Carlo Maria Giulini (conductor)
1.ÌýAllegro ma non troppo
2.ÌýLarghetto -
3.Ìý Rondo: Allegro
Beethoven wrote his Violin Concerto for Franz Clement, the leader of the orchestra at the Theater an der Wien, completing it only just in time for the scheduled premiere in December 1806. That winter season found the composer at his most prolific; for example, during the preceding weeks he had been much preoccupied with work on the Fifth and Sixth symphonies. In these circumstances, it is perhaps not so surprising that Clement gave the first performance of the Concerto without the luxury of prior rehearsal, nor that Beethoven decided to make alterations subsequently to his score.Ìý Another interesting aspect of the premiere was that Clement played a series of showpiece items, some with his instrument turned upside down, in between the first two movements. (A precursor of the Classical Brit Awards, perhaps.)
Clearly Beethoven's contemporaries held the Violin Concerto in lower esteem than have subsequent generations. The following is typical of the reviews: 'Amongst other excellent pieces, the remarkable violinist Clement also played a concerto by Beethoven, which was received with great applause.Ìý However, the opinion of connoisseurs, while admitting that there are beautiful passages, confesses that the context often seems broken and that the endless repetition of unimportant ideas produces a tiring effect.'Ìý This opinion was evidently influential, since it was not until the famous violinist Joseph Joachim took the piece into his repertoire. First playing it as a teenager, in London in 1844, he ensured that the music's true stature and value became fully appreciated.
Beethoven begins the substantial first movement in a manner that seems frankly self-effacing. But the initial five-note drum figure and the simple woodwind tune prove to be the germ for practically everything that follows.Ìý This opening phase is certainly more lyrical than those of the (first four) piano concertos, reflecting perhaps the legato nature of the solo instrument.Ìý The ‘drum beat’ motto is maintained beneath the magnificent second theme, building the music up to a fully scored climax. When this subsides, the soloist enters.
Although the mood is not changed by the presence of the solo violin, the full range of the instrument is certainly exploited. Thus the fulfilment of the soloist's opening paragraph comes with the first subject presented in the violin's highest register. The development is every inch as imaginative as we would expect of Beethoven, since it is dominated by the timpani rhythm and the first theme, while the solo part abounds in decorations which always relate closely to this prevailing material. The earliest surviving cadenza is of course that of Joachim, but Fritz Kreisler's is also popular with soloists today. There is also a cadenza by Beethoven, which remarkably includes the timpani also, but this was intended for his piano transcription of the concerto.
The second movement is lyrical in tone, the music’s smaller scale and lighter mood probably determined by the scale and size of the preceding Allegro ma non troppo. There are two lyrical themes, plus a somewhat ornamental subsidiary idea, and these are presented in various guises, often with a solo line containing decorative arabesques.
A brief cadenza forms a bridge to the finale, which follows without pause.Ìý The solo violin immediately presents the rondo theme, but once the orchestra takes this over, the music becomes more robust. There are various episodes whose function is to provide variety, and the second of these, cast in the minor key, brings an intensification of the mood. However, it is inevitably the rondo theme which dominates the movement. Its 'hunting' style reflects the Viennese taste of the period, and it is this theme that brings the Concerto to its close in suitably festive mood.
© Terry Barfoot
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