Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

THE STORY

     The violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim was a longtime friend (and briefly a roommate) of Johannes Brahms, and in 1878, the two finally collaborated on a violin concerto. Brahms, a pianist who was unsure how to best write for the technical capabilities of the violin, asked for the advice of his friend—and so, drafts traveled back and forth, by trains and coaches, between Austria and Hungary. Although Brahms did not heed all of Joachim’s recommendations, the two were aligned in the core belief that the music should have meaning and substance, not just displays of virtuosity. 
     While the concerto does, in fact, spotlight the soloist beautifully, it also spectacularly showcases the orchestra, to a much greater degree than its predecessors. The concerto was premiered by Joachim, who presented a double-feature, opening the concert with the Beethoven Violin Concerto—also in D major and bringing to light Beethoven’s influence on Brahms. Given its break from convention, the concerto garnered mixed reactions.
     When Joachim’s marriage fell apart a few years later, Brahms took his wife’s side and Joachim stopped performing the concerto. Fortunately, other violinists carried on with introducing the work to audiences far and wide. 

LISTEN FOR

• The solo cadenza of the first movement, written entirely by Joachim, which touches on all the movement’s main themes

• The main melody of the Adagio played by the oboe and later interpreted by the soloist in a variation (the violinist and composer Sarasate famously refused to play the concerto because he didn’t want to "stand on the rostrum, violin in hand and listen to the oboe playing the only tune”)

• The foot-stomping style of the third movement—a nod to Joachim’s native Hungary

INSTRUMENTATION

Solo violin; two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, strings