Violin Concerto

In his early works, Ginastera wrote in a nationalist style, frequently evoking Argentinean folklore and landscapes. For his 1963 Violin Concerto, however, he adopted a more international and modernist style. It was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and written for the then renowned soloist Ruggiero Ricci, famous for his performances of Paganini. Despite being premiered by conductor Leonard Bernstein, whose common touch usually helped a new work’s reputation, the Concerto’s demanding, avant-garde techniques were something of a barrier to its popularity. This changed early this century, mostly thanks to violinist Hilary Hahn who championed the work in both concert and recording studio. Ginastera starts unconventionally with a rhapsodic cadenza, played by the soloist alone. The orchestra then joins in for a series of six “studies”, each a variation on the 12-tone row that forms the foundation of the entire work: during these, the violinist produces a range of novel sounds including the use of microtones and harmonics. After a maestoso coda, the lyrical second movement trims the orchestra to 22 “soloists”, in a tribute to the New York Philharmonic’s principal players (the leaders of each of the orchestra’s sections). The finale calls on the violinist to play at a nearly inaudible whisper before tackling fragments of Paganini’s Caprice No. 24, “as if the shadow of this great violinist were passing through the orchestra,” according to Ginastera. Having recalled the virtuoso tradition with which Ricci was closely associated, the piece now moves to a sparkling “Perpetuum mobile” coda and a triumphant conclusion.