Violin Concerto No. 1 (Prokofiev)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, opus 19, written in 1916–7 by Sergei Prokofiev, is a work in three movements:
- Andantino
- Scherzo: Vivacissimo
- Moderato - Andante
Prokofiev composed the concerto's opening melody in 1915, during his love affair with Nina Mescherskaya. The remaining movements were partly inspired by a 1916 St. Petersburg performance of Karol Szymanowski's Myths by Paul Kochanski.
It premiered on October 18, 1923 at the Paris Opera with Marcel Darrieux playing the violin part and the Paris Opera Orchestra conducted by Serge Koussevitzky. Not a success during its premiere, it has since become one of the most popular and well-loved concerti in the classical repertoire. Even the composer Igor Stravinsky, who did not like Prokofiev's music in general, admired this concerto.
The work opens ethereally, gains momentum and becalms; this describes both the opening movement, and the piece taken as a whole. The three movements begin in D major, E minor and G minor, and the work closes in a manner similar to that of the opening movement, seeming to climb peacefully. The concerto is scored for moderate-sized orchestra with a small percussion section.
[edit] External links
- More on the History of the Concerto, from a Program Note
- Prokofiev.org page on Concerto
- Free recording by the Columbia University Orchestra.
|
||||||||||||||
