Introduction and Rondo capriccioso in A Minor

From its expectant opening, when the soloist hovers over hushed orchestral chords before breaking into a flourish of arpeggios and chromatic scales, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso has the feel of a violin concerto—albeit one that lasts barely 10 minutes. And it’s no surprise to learn that it was first planned as the finale of just such a concerto, but given independent life when the composer realised its standalone potential. Premiered in 1867 by the Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate (arguably the leading violinist of the time), the piece is effectively a love letter to Spain, bright with the colourful "otherness" of a land that came to be a source of liberating fantasy for French creative artists in the 19th century. Syncopated rhythms shift where you expect the beat to fall, and crossed time signatures (at one point 2/4 in the solo part against 6/8 in the orchestra) drive the momentum through four sections that in actuality feel more like the two the title suggests: a slow "Introduction" followed by a fast "Rondo" where contrasting ideas repeat in circularity.