Violin Concerto (NCS Co-commission)
Errollyn Wallen  (b. 1958)

THE STORY

The ethos of Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen is best summed up by the motto of the ensemble she founded called Ensemble X: “We don’t break down barriers in music… we don’t see any.” Wallen’s music is a collage of classical traditions, the avant-garde, and popular songwriting: her works include more than 20 operas as well as orchestral, chamber and vocal works. She is among the most-performed living composers in the world. In 2024 she has published the memoir Becoming a Composer and been given the honorary title “Master of the King's Music” by King Charles III.

The composer shares this note about her violin concerto, which had its world premiere in March of 2024.

When one composes for a virtuoso such as Philippe Quint, a world of possibilities opens up when the combination of expressivity, character, and technical prowess is in one musician’s hands and available to explore. This has been a great inspiration to my musical thinking in this work.

A notable feature of the violin concerto is the inclusion of material which is biographical.

The listener will hear in the first movement music which triggered the memory of the sound of church bells heard by Philippe as a child in the Soviet Union and, in the second movement, a lullaby, Shlof Mayn Fegele, sung to the young Philippe by his grandfather. The final movement is playful and optimistic—evoking the welcome of a new life in America.

I take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to Philippe Quint for discovering and championing my music and for the opportunity to collaborate with him and with all the orchestras involved in this commission, in such a fruitful and enjoyable way.

Wallen’s Violin Concerto was co-commissioned by the North Carolina Symphony in a consortium with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Brevard Festival Orchestra, and Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. German and Spanish premieres are forthcoming with the Magdeburg Philharmonic and Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia.

INSTRUMENTATION

Solo violin; two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, strings