The violin was my very first instrument, starting at age 3. I switched to cello some years later, but my love for the instrument remains to this day. During the Covid pandemic, I started fiddling with my daughter’s 3/4-sized violin, basically to kill time. Little by little I progressed, got a fiddle of my own, and through self-created exercises and “violin karaoke” sessions became a relatively competent amateur violinist. My family would probably say that I became obsessed with the instrument! My explorations of the violin were so rewarding that I decided to write a full violin concerto. The great violinist Tessa Lark, with whom I have collaborated several times, agreed to undertake this world-premiere project with the amazing Alabama Symphony Orchestra. 

 

Written in the traditional three-movement structure, the Violin Concerto opens with an innocent oboe theme that later generates contrasting Sturm und Drang episodes between violin and orchestra. Some passages from my Requiem's Dies Irae are quoted during the Coda of the opening act, a reminder of the Day of Judgment. A second movement, titled Nocturno, unveils a more tender and comforting version of darkness, an intimate episode of sorts. All leads to a folkish, celebratory, and triumphant Rondo finale. This work was a labor of love and is dedicated to my beloved wife, Clare Izcaray.