Violin Concerto (Stravinsky)

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Stravinsky's Violin concerto in D was composed in the summer of 1931 in France. The idea of a violin concerto was born in the minds of Stravinsky's music publisher at the time, Willy Strecker of B. Schotts Söhne and violinist Samuel Dushkin. Strecker introduced Stravinsky to Dushkin, proposing that Stravinsky could consult with Dushkin about various technical issues. Stravinsky noted in his autobiography that Dushkin's availability for advice was a factor in his undertaking the violin concerto. He also sought the opinion of composer and violinist Paul Hindemith.

It was composed in the neoclassical phase of Stravinsky's compositional evolution, after his primitivist phase and before turning to serialism.

The work premiered on October 23, 1931 in Berlin, with Dushkin playing the violin and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Stravinsky himself. Dushkin also gave the work's first US performance, with Serge Koussevitzky conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The concerto was choreographed by George Balanchine in 1941, but only premiered as a Ballet in 1972, by New York City Ballet as part of the Stravinsky Festival.

[edit] Movements

1. Toccata
2. Aria I
3. Aria II
4. Capriccio

A typical performance of the concerto will last approximately 20 minutes.

[edit] References

• IGOR FEDOROVICH STRAVINSKY, CONCERTO IN D MAJOR FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA. San Fransisco Symphony. Retrieved on January 7, 2007.
• Violin Concerto in D, IGOR STRAVINSKY. New York Philharmonic. Retrieved on January 7, 2007.
• Philips Liner Notes
• Maya Pritsker. Igor Stravinsky: Violin Concerto in D Major (1931). American Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved on July 29, 2006.