Violin Concerto in D Major

Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto is a work of graceful melodies and stirring passions. The piece was written in 1878, in the Swiss resort of Clarens, on Lake Geneva. Tchaikovsky had fled Russia following his disastrous marriage and was taking time to recover. The violinist Iosif Kotek, a former pupil, visited the composer, and together they played through Édouard Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole, a recently composed work in concerto form. Tchaikovsky was taken with the freshness and lightness of the music, and resolved to compose a similar concerto for Kotek. After a gentle introduction from the orchestra, the first movement presents two main themes, the first strident, the second more sensual, increasing in intensity as it rises. The cadenza (where the violin plays alone) elaborates on both melodies. The second movement, “Canzonetta”, has a simple but lyrical song-like theme, presented with subtle ornaments by the solo violin, first over muted orchestral strings and then in duet with flute and clarinet. The finale, which follows directly without a break, is the most Russian-sounding movement. Tchaikovsky casts the soloist as a folk fiddler, striking up a propulsive dance. The slower second theme also has a folk-dance character, and the music gradually intensifies toward its rousing and vivacious coda.