Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)

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Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, is a famous violin concerto.

It was composed between 1838 and 1844, and performed in Leipzig on 13 March 1845. It is one of the most frequently performed of violin concerti, along with its more grandiose counterparts by Brahms and Beethoven. Its enduring popularity is based on its beautiful themes, sleek form, ambient energy, a reserved, sentimental expression, and to a lesser extent, its reputation as an essential work for all aspiring violin virtuosi to conquer.

It is in three movements, as is usual with the classical concerto since Mozart. However, new ideas of unity have been imposed. The three movements are to be played without pause, and a reference back to the first movement occurs in the second, suggesting cyclical form.

The three movements are:

Allegro molto appassionato -
Andante - Allegretto non troppo -
Allegro molto vivace.

A typical performance of Mendelssohn's concerto lasts around 25 minutes. The first movement takes around 12 to 14 minutes of these, the second 8 to 9 minutes and the third 6 minutes. However, it has been proven that the whole concerto was played at faster tempos in the past generations of violin playing. The first movement was generally between 11 and 12 minutes, the second 7 to 8, and the last was below the 6 minute mark.

Mendelssohn also wrote a violin concerto with strings in 1822 ([1], ]), which was given its 20th century premiere in 1952 by Yehudi Menuhin and is less often played and recorded.

[edit] Quotes

In 1906, the year before his death, celebrated violinist Joseph Joachim told the guests at a party in his honour:

"The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, most uncompromising is Beethoven's. The one by Brahms vies with it in seriousness. The richest, the most seductive was written by Max Bruch. But the most inward, the heart's jewel, is Mendelssohn's."