Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, Germany, on February 3, 1809, and died in Leipzig, Germany, on November 4, 1847. The first performance of the E minor Concerto took place at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig on March 13, 1845, with Ferdinand David as soloist and Niels W. Gade conducting. In addition to the solo violin, the E minor Concerto is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings. Approximate performance time is twenty-six minutes.
Felix Mendelssohn composed his Violin Concerto for his dear friend, Ferdinand David (1810-1873). David, an eminent violinist, was concertmaster of Mendelssohn’s Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig. In a letter of July 30, 1838, Mendelssohn informed David: “I would also like to write you a violin concerto for next winter as well; I have one in E minor in my head, the opening leaves me no peace...”
David was, of course, thrilled by Mendelssohn’s news. However, progress on the Concerto was slow, as Mendelssohn tended to other obligations. But David continued to encourage Mendelssohn. The composition of the Violin Concerto proved to be a truly collaborative effort. David repeatedly offered constructive suggestions for modifications to the score-in-progress. In fact, it is generally believed that David was essentially responsible for the beautiful first-movement cadenza.
Mendelssohn dedicated the Concerto to David, who appeared at the March 13, 1845 Gewandhaus premiere. Mendelssohn was recuperating from an illness at the time, and so, Niels W. Gade served as the conductor for that highly successful first performance. The Concerto was repeated during the subsequent Gewandhaus season. David was again the soloist at the October 20, 1845, concert, this time with Mendelssohn on the podium.
The Mendelssohn E minor is one of the most beloved of violin concertos. The Concerto’s seamless, inevitable flow belies the years of struggle invested by Mendelssohn and his worthy collaborator, Ferdinand David. The genial lyricism also tends to obscure the several innovative, even revolutionary, touches in the magnificent score. The E minor Concerto, along with such works as the Octet for Strings (1825), and the Overture to the Incidental Music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1826), represent Mendelssohn at his zenith, a composer demonstrating the capacity to approach, and perhaps even achieve, perfection.
The Violin Concerto is in three movements. In the first (Allegro molto appassionato), Mendelssohn dispenses with the traditional orchestral introduction of the principal themes. Instead, the soloist plays the haunting melody that Mendelssohn confessed left him “no peace.” Another departure from the conventions of the time is the placement of the solo cadenza immediately before the recapitulation of the principal themes, rather than toward the close of the entire movement. The tempestuous closing measures lead without pause to the slow-tempo second movement (Andante), fashioned along the lines of an opera aria without words, with the presentation and ultimate reprise of the principal melody separated by a contrasting, dramatic interlude. Once again, the final movement (Allegretto non troppo; Allegro molto vivace) follows without pause. The mood of the finale is joyous throughout, concluding in triumphant fashion, with brilliant solo writing.
Program notes by Ken Meltzer
