Jean Sibelius
Born: December 8, 1865, Hämeenlinna, Finland
Died: September 20, 1957, Ainola Järvenpää, Finland

Concerto in D Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 47, Allegro moderato

Sibelius wrote his violin concerto at the request of the celebrated German violinist Willy Burmester. Yet, a combination of circumstances ultimately prevented Burmester from performing the work, which was premiered by Czech violinist Viktor Nováček.

Sibelius had started out as a violinist himself and understood the violin not only from a composer’s point of view but also from a performer’s. In the words of Erik Tawaststjerna, the author of an important Sibelius biography, “Naturally in his imagination he identifies himself with the soloist in the Violin Concerto and this may well explain something of its nostalgia and romantic intensity.”

“Nostalgia and romantic intensity” are the key words here. Simple and song-like at first, the violin part gradually becomes more and more agitated, erupting in a first virtuoso cadenza. The orchestra later introduces a second idea, which the violin soon takes over; when that happens, however, the tempo suddenly slows down and the character of the theme changes from dramatic to lyrical. This is followed by a third, purely orchestral section, lively and energetic. The solo cadenza occurs in the middle of the movement, rather than at the end as usual. It is followed by a free recapitulation, with the addition of some virtuoso passages that turn the ending into a kind of grandiose Gypsy* fantasy.

—Peter Laki

*The more modern term is Romani