The purpose of this thread is to share my love of this particular Violin Concerto and to introduce it to anyone who yet is unaware of its wondrous offerings. I would welcome any thoughts and contributions and in particular recommendations of your favourite recordings of this work.
The notes below are taken from a mixture of various internet sources, album sleeve notes and my own personal input.
Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
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Re: Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Biography:
Max Bruch was born in Cologne, where he had his early musical training; he won the coveted Mozart Foundation Scholarship, taking him to Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden and Vienna for further study. He went on to a career as a teacher, conductor and composer that included a short spell as conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society. From 1891 he was principally occupied in Berlin as professor of composition at the Berlin Academy. Known in his lifetime as a composer of choral works, he is now remembered chiefly for a handful of orchestral compositions.
He completed his First Symphony at the age of 14 and it was in 1868, during his time as director of a concert group in Coblenz that he wrote and premiered this concerto. He then revised it extensively, with the great violinist Joachim introducing the new version in Bremen in 1868, and soon it was being performed across Europe.
Bruch died in his house in Berlin (Friedenau) on 2nd October 1920.
Max Bruch was born in Cologne, where he had his early musical training; he won the coveted Mozart Foundation Scholarship, taking him to Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden and Vienna for further study. He went on to a career as a teacher, conductor and composer that included a short spell as conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society. From 1891 he was principally occupied in Berlin as professor of composition at the Berlin Academy. Known in his lifetime as a composer of choral works, he is now remembered chiefly for a handful of orchestral compositions.
He completed his First Symphony at the age of 14 and it was in 1868, during his time as director of a concert group in Coblenz that he wrote and premiered this concerto. He then revised it extensively, with the great violinist Joachim introducing the new version in Bremen in 1868, and soon it was being performed across Europe.
Bruch died in his house in Berlin (Friedenau) on 2nd October 1920.
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Background:
This was Max Bruch’s first large-scale work for orchestra, and its success eclipsed all else he did, even in his own lifetime, to which the Scottish Fantasia for violin and orchestra is a relatively modest pendant. Kol nidrei for cello and orchestra, based on Hebrew themes, is a major item in cello repertoire. He also left three symphonies in addition to a variety of other, shorter orchestral compositions (e.g. a Serenade, a Romance for Viola, and works based on Celtic and Russian melodies).
The Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, is one of the most popular violin concertos in the repertory. It continues to be performed and recorded by many violinists and is Bruch's most famous composition.
Bruch began it during the 1850s while still a student. The concerto was first completed in 1866 and the first performance was given on 24 April 1866 by Otto von Königslow with Bruch himself conducting. After its completion in 1866, though, he was still unsure about the orchestration. He first sought the advice of a concertmaster, and later consulted one of the most famous violinists of the age, the celebrated Joseph Joachim, and completed it in its present form in 1867. The premiere of the revised concerto was given by Joachim in Bremen on 5 January 1868 with Karl Martin Rheinthaler conducting. Following Joachim’s premiere of the piece, it became an instant hit. As their collaboration had proved so successful Bruch decided to dedicate the concerto to Joachim “in respect”, but at Joachim’s request changed this to “in friendship” instead.
In his seriousness and integrity, Joachim seems to have been a rarity among 19th-century soloists, whose penchant for crowd-pleasing novelties often led to strained relations with composers. Even the premiere of Beethoven’s sublime violin concerto was interrupted by its soloist inserting a jolly little piece of his own after the first movement — played with the violin turned the wrong way round! Of course, the audience loved it. Mendelssohn and Schumann precluded such abuses by linking their movements together in an uninterrupted stream of music. These composers served as models to the young Bruch and in this piece, he goes further than either of them. He links the first two movements and, more importantly, he also denies the soloist any cadenzas.
This was not purely a question of composers being control freaks. Their concern for integrity was linked to one of the dominant aspects of the Romantic aesthetic: fantasy. If their whole aim was to spin a bewitching musical web, how could they bear to have their poetic spell interrupted by a musical variety show? Whereas Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven robustly accepted that their symphonies might be split in two to be performed at opposite ends of a concert, the Romantics preferred to block such intrusion.
The importance of fantasy to Bruch was so great that, like Schumann with his Piano Concerto, he originally considered calling this piece a fantasy. In the end, he reverted to concerto. But he signals an unusual intent by calling the ordinarily important first movement “Prelude,” almost as though the Adagio were an opera that needed a curtain-raiser. The spirit of this music suggests some kind of concealed tale behind the first two movements. That is not so implausible: Bruch was an opera composer, too.
Bruch sold the score to the publisher N. Simrock outright for a small lump sum — but he kept a copy of his own. At the end of World War I, he was destitute, having been unable to enforce the payment of royalties for his other works because of chaotic world-wide economic conditions. He sent his autograph to the duo-pianists Rose and Ottilie Sutro (for whom he had written his Concerto in A-flat minor for Two Pianos and Orchestra, Op. 88a, in 1912), so that they could sell it in the United States and send him the money. Bruch died in October 1920, without ever receiving any money. The Sutro sisters decided to keep the score themselves, but they claimed to have sold it, and sent Bruch's family some worthless German paper money as the alleged proceeds of the alleged sale. They always refused to divulge any details of the supposed purchaser. In 1949, they sold the autograph to Mary Flagler Cary, whose collection, including the Bruch concerto, now resides at the Pierpont Morgan Public Library in New York.
Bruch also composed two more violin concertos, but neither has gained as much fame as his first. It used to annoy Bruch during his long life that he was remembered only for this work, not just because of his large output of over one hundred further compositions but also because he accepted the once off payment from his publisher and lost the extensive revenue it generated.
For violinists, one of the concerto’s most obvious redeeming qualities is the degree to which it acts as a profound showcase for the instrument. The dazzling, virtuosic passages, particularly in the glorious finale, really do make the violin sing as it soars again and again, almost from within the orchestra, to ever loftier heights. The second movement, meanwhile, is pure romance: beautiful, heart-breaking themes, woven delicately within soulful orchestral accompaniment.
By the time of his death in the early 20th century, however, musical styles had charged ahead through the thematic and harmonic innovations of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner to the angular rhythms of Igor Stravinsky. Indeed, as exemplified by the Violin Concerto No. 1, Bruch remained faithful to flowing melodies and graceful rhythms reminiscent of an earlier era.
The work is scored for solo violin and a standard classical orchestra consisting of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings.
The concerto is in three movements:
1. Vorspiel: Allegro moderato
2. Adagio
3. Finale: Allegro energico
This was Max Bruch’s first large-scale work for orchestra, and its success eclipsed all else he did, even in his own lifetime, to which the Scottish Fantasia for violin and orchestra is a relatively modest pendant. Kol nidrei for cello and orchestra, based on Hebrew themes, is a major item in cello repertoire. He also left three symphonies in addition to a variety of other, shorter orchestral compositions (e.g. a Serenade, a Romance for Viola, and works based on Celtic and Russian melodies).
The Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, is one of the most popular violin concertos in the repertory. It continues to be performed and recorded by many violinists and is Bruch's most famous composition.
Bruch began it during the 1850s while still a student. The concerto was first completed in 1866 and the first performance was given on 24 April 1866 by Otto von Königslow with Bruch himself conducting. After its completion in 1866, though, he was still unsure about the orchestration. He first sought the advice of a concertmaster, and later consulted one of the most famous violinists of the age, the celebrated Joseph Joachim, and completed it in its present form in 1867. The premiere of the revised concerto was given by Joachim in Bremen on 5 January 1868 with Karl Martin Rheinthaler conducting. Following Joachim’s premiere of the piece, it became an instant hit. As their collaboration had proved so successful Bruch decided to dedicate the concerto to Joachim “in respect”, but at Joachim’s request changed this to “in friendship” instead.
In his seriousness and integrity, Joachim seems to have been a rarity among 19th-century soloists, whose penchant for crowd-pleasing novelties often led to strained relations with composers. Even the premiere of Beethoven’s sublime violin concerto was interrupted by its soloist inserting a jolly little piece of his own after the first movement — played with the violin turned the wrong way round! Of course, the audience loved it. Mendelssohn and Schumann precluded such abuses by linking their movements together in an uninterrupted stream of music. These composers served as models to the young Bruch and in this piece, he goes further than either of them. He links the first two movements and, more importantly, he also denies the soloist any cadenzas.
This was not purely a question of composers being control freaks. Their concern for integrity was linked to one of the dominant aspects of the Romantic aesthetic: fantasy. If their whole aim was to spin a bewitching musical web, how could they bear to have their poetic spell interrupted by a musical variety show? Whereas Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven robustly accepted that their symphonies might be split in two to be performed at opposite ends of a concert, the Romantics preferred to block such intrusion.
The importance of fantasy to Bruch was so great that, like Schumann with his Piano Concerto, he originally considered calling this piece a fantasy. In the end, he reverted to concerto. But he signals an unusual intent by calling the ordinarily important first movement “Prelude,” almost as though the Adagio were an opera that needed a curtain-raiser. The spirit of this music suggests some kind of concealed tale behind the first two movements. That is not so implausible: Bruch was an opera composer, too.
Bruch sold the score to the publisher N. Simrock outright for a small lump sum — but he kept a copy of his own. At the end of World War I, he was destitute, having been unable to enforce the payment of royalties for his other works because of chaotic world-wide economic conditions. He sent his autograph to the duo-pianists Rose and Ottilie Sutro (for whom he had written his Concerto in A-flat minor for Two Pianos and Orchestra, Op. 88a, in 1912), so that they could sell it in the United States and send him the money. Bruch died in October 1920, without ever receiving any money. The Sutro sisters decided to keep the score themselves, but they claimed to have sold it, and sent Bruch's family some worthless German paper money as the alleged proceeds of the alleged sale. They always refused to divulge any details of the supposed purchaser. In 1949, they sold the autograph to Mary Flagler Cary, whose collection, including the Bruch concerto, now resides at the Pierpont Morgan Public Library in New York.
Bruch also composed two more violin concertos, but neither has gained as much fame as his first. It used to annoy Bruch during his long life that he was remembered only for this work, not just because of his large output of over one hundred further compositions but also because he accepted the once off payment from his publisher and lost the extensive revenue it generated.
For violinists, one of the concerto’s most obvious redeeming qualities is the degree to which it acts as a profound showcase for the instrument. The dazzling, virtuosic passages, particularly in the glorious finale, really do make the violin sing as it soars again and again, almost from within the orchestra, to ever loftier heights. The second movement, meanwhile, is pure romance: beautiful, heart-breaking themes, woven delicately within soulful orchestral accompaniment.
By the time of his death in the early 20th century, however, musical styles had charged ahead through the thematic and harmonic innovations of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner to the angular rhythms of Igor Stravinsky. Indeed, as exemplified by the Violin Concerto No. 1, Bruch remained faithful to flowing melodies and graceful rhythms reminiscent of an earlier era.
The work is scored for solo violin and a standard classical orchestra consisting of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings.
The concerto is in three movements:
1. Vorspiel: Allegro moderato
2. Adagio
3. Finale: Allegro energico
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
A note on the illustrating clips:
I just want to mention the YouTube clips used to illustrate the three movements of this concerto. Firstly, I wanted a separate clip to illustrate each individual movement rather than a clip that shows the entire work. Secondly, the clips of Itzhak Perlman performances are not of superior sound quality when compared to other clips available; they suffer from a background hiss which is obvious but not overly intrusive. However, Perlman’s intonation and phrasing are absolutely wonderful. He caresses the instrument and squeezes every last ounce of emotion from the score in the slow movement. His technique in the final movement allows the dance-like rhythms to flow with consummate ease. So, in this case, it is all about the superlative performance and not the quality of the recording. There are other recordings on YouTube that you can visit after you have been suitably impressed.
I just want to mention the YouTube clips used to illustrate the three movements of this concerto. Firstly, I wanted a separate clip to illustrate each individual movement rather than a clip that shows the entire work. Secondly, the clips of Itzhak Perlman performances are not of superior sound quality when compared to other clips available; they suffer from a background hiss which is obvious but not overly intrusive. However, Perlman’s intonation and phrasing are absolutely wonderful. He caresses the instrument and squeezes every last ounce of emotion from the score in the slow movement. His technique in the final movement allows the dance-like rhythms to flow with consummate ease. So, in this case, it is all about the superlative performance and not the quality of the recording. There are other recordings on YouTube that you can visit after you have been suitably impressed.
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Special note to first time listeners to this work:
To be very honest if this is your first time to hear Bruch’s First Violin Concerto I would recommend that you skip this first movement and go straight to the second and final movements. This is a strange recommendation I know but my reason is thus; the first movement is wonderful and beautiful in itself but is somewhat different in form (structure) than the rest of the work and the norm for a violin concerto of its time. However, when you have listened to the rest of the work once or twice, then most certainly do come back and listen to the complete work. The unorthodox first movement will make more sense to you then. I would much rather you hear the second and third movements first if this is your first introduction to this work!
To be very honest if this is your first time to hear Bruch’s First Violin Concerto I would recommend that you skip this first movement and go straight to the second and final movements. This is a strange recommendation I know but my reason is thus; the first movement is wonderful and beautiful in itself but is somewhat different in form (structure) than the rest of the work and the norm for a violin concerto of its time. However, when you have listened to the rest of the work once or twice, then most certainly do come back and listen to the complete work. The unorthodox first movement will make more sense to you then. I would much rather you hear the second and third movements first if this is your first introduction to this work!
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
First Movement:
Bruch had originally called the first movement of this concerto Introduzione-Fantasia but changed the title to Vorspiel (Prelude). Orchestral chord sequences and solo flourishes alternate. This unusual prelude, or Vorspiel, utilises music not heard again in the movement, as soloist and orchestra exchange short comments before the tempo picks up and the movement's proper main theme is introduced by the soloist over tremolo and then pizzicato strings. Bruch finds—or makes—room for two expansive and memorable melodies. The first movement is unusual in that it is a Vorspiel, a prelude, to the second movement and is directly linked to it. The piece starts off slowly, with the melody first taken by the flutes, and then the solo violin becomes audible with a short cadenza. This repeats again, serving as an introduction to the main portion of the movement, which contains a strong first theme, a sturdy, serious idea presented at a moderate tempo, and a very melodic, and generally slower, second theme, a slighter, more passionate melody. The two ideas are developed together reaching an impressive climax and then dying away to accommodate a short cadenza. So, just when we expect a full scale movement in sonata form, Bruch makes the implications of his title Vorspiel, or prelude, clear; instead of proceeding with development and recapitulation he recalls his introductory flourishes. So the movement ends as it began, with the two short cadenzas more virtuosic than before, and the orchestra's final tutti flows into the second movement, connected by a single low note from the first violins.
Allegro moderato is an elaborated ternary form (ABA). It might be a “real” first movement up to the moment when a development seems due. This is where Bruch brings back his opening chords and flourishes, using them this time to prepare the soft sinking into the Adagio. All this caused him considerable concern, and he asked Joachim whether he ought not to call the whole work a fantasy rather than a concerto. “The designation concerto is completely apt,” Joachim wrote in reply. “Indeed, the second and third movements are too fully developed for a fantasy. The separate sections of the work cohere in a lovely relationship, and yet—and this is the most important thing—there is adequate contrast.”
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Second Movement:
There is really not much one can say to do music such as this adequate justice so just listen and enjoy!
The slow second movement is often adored for its powerful melody, and is generally considered to be the heart of the concerto. The three rich, sentimental, expansive themes, presented by the violin, are underscored by a constantly moving orchestra part, keeping the movement alive and helping it flow from one part to the next.
The concerto's emotional heart is, surprisingly, a rondo form, the ABACABA pattern discernable through a veil of continuous variation. A is the famed ecstatic melody for the soloist. B appears on the horns, three descending pairs of notes (Strauss subsequently cloned this in his Alpine Symphony). Gently pulsing tympani highlight the return of A. C is more agitated and initiates the movement's climax at which A ardently propels B into the limelight. B then yields to the violin, caressing A and weaving upwards, making room below for B to quietly snuggle in.
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Third Movement:
The spirited third movement, “Finale: allegro energico,” is based largely on a vibrant theme that is suggestive of a folk dance. An air of hushed expectancy introduces the finale, with an extremely intense, yet quiet, orchestral introduction that yields to the soloist's statement of the exuberant theme in brilliant double stops. It is very much like a dance that moves at a comfortably fast and energetic tempo. The second subject is a fine example of Romantic lyricism, a slower melody which cuts into the movement several times, before the dance theme returns with its fireworks. The piece ends with a huge accelerando, leading to a fiery finish that gets higher as it gets faster and louder and eventually concludes with two short, yet grand, chords.
An opening crescendo that thrusts a sturdy dance-tune on its swaggering way; another crescendo releasing a striding, confident second subject contrasted in every respect except audience impact. The clarity of this contrast establishes the most obvious formal device of the work, a sonata. But Bruch remains inventive: like in a Scarlatti sonata, there's no development section - that seems to permeate the whole movement.
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Versions of this work in my collection:
Ancerl / Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Suk [Supraphon]
Haitink / Concertgebouw Orchestra / Perlman [EMI]
Handley / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Little [Classics for Pleasure]
Kempe / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Chung [Decca]
Susskind / Philharmonia Orchestra / Menuhin [EMI]
Ancerl / Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Suk [Supraphon]
Haitink / Concertgebouw Orchestra / Perlman [EMI]
Handley / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Little [Classics for Pleasure]
Kempe / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Chung [Decca]
Susskind / Philharmonia Orchestra / Menuhin [EMI]
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
You've made a superb effort with this thread Fergus. Thanks. I think I only have the one Bruch recording and its the violin concerto if remember correctly. I will dig it out later and read this thread again in detail.
"I may skip. I may even warp a little.... But I will never, ever crash. I am your friend for life. " -Vinyl.
Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP
Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP