Prelude: Grave
Composed 1880; Duration: 28 minutes
Last BPO Performance: April 15-16, 2016 (Bella Hristova, violin; Michal Nesterowicz, conductor)
Max Bruch was staunchly conservative for his generation, having technical prowess similar to predecessors like Mendelssohn and Schumann. He delighted in discovering and using folk music, skillfully incorporating traditional Russian, Swedish, and Jewish melodies into his scores.
He was not the first German enthralled by Scotland’s mystical aura: Beethoven published throngs of Scottish folk song settings, and Mendelssohn’s third symphony recounts his 1829 Caledonian journey. For years, Bruch had taken an interest in Scotland, poring over volumes of poetry, history, and folk music. In 1880, he completed his contribution to the canon with an orchestral fantasy flush with Highland melodies as he prepared for his final conducting post at the Liverpool Philharmonic Society, which he held until 1883. No, it wasn’t Scotland, but in recent decades, Liverpool benefited from a huge influx of Scottish immigrants, and the growing interest in Scottish culture and history made sense for Bruch.
His most successful works paired violin and orchestra, including three notable concertos. Eventually dubbed simply Scottish Fantasy, the four-movement quasi-concerto was premiered by violinist Joseph Joachim in 1881 in Liverpool. Complaining that Joachim’s performance ruined the work, he dedicated the work to Pablo de Sarasate, who performed the Fantasy in 1883 in Poland.
Following a brooding introduction, the work takes a sunny turn with “Auld Rob Morris.” In 1792, the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns, added verses to the song in a folksy Scots dialect with his typically egalitarian shading. The violin’s skillful lyricism is paired deliberately with the harp in a nod to traditional Scottish instrumentation.
Another time-worn tune that Burns lent a few verses to is heard in the jubilant scherzo. Complete with showy double stops, the soloist presents “Hey the Dusty Miller” along with ornate variations. The movement concludes with a reflective reprise of “Auld Rob Morris,” which transitions seamlessly into the third movement, an emotive presentation of the quaint Highland air, “I'm A' Doun For Lack O' Johnnie.”
Appropriately marked “guerriero” (warrior), the finale resounds with militant bravado with the tune “Hey Tuttie Tatie.” Tradition holds that the melody was sung by Robert the Bruce’s army as they prepared for the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. But, as little of Scottish culture has evaded the influence of Robert Burns, the song is more commonly known today by his fervently patriotic lyrical setting, “Scots Wha Hae.” The melody undergoes numerous ornate variations in a dazzling display of virtuosity.