Best Violin Concerto .

[Despina41]

Supposedly there are the "Big Three" Romantic Violin Concertos in the rep: Beethoven, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky. Other popular ones include Bruch 1 and Mendelssohn - though they do not quite measure on the same scale. I lobby that the Tchaik be replaced with the Sibelius concerto for Big Three, or rather, the Sibelius be added so we can have Four.


So the Brahms comes from 1878, op. 77. By that time Brahms had a few models of violin concertos from famous composers: Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and the Bruch (also written for Joachim). This concerto blows them all out of the water. In my humble, unprejudiced opinion.

Brahms worked on it with Joachim, who had already written a couple of violin concertos himself. Joachim offered lots of useful advice such as, "this is not physically playable, you moron!" In fact, he wound up rewriting some solo passages for Brahms - and of course Brahms left the cadenza for him to write as well.

Many violinists still use the Joachim cadenza because they consider it part of the Work, arguing that if Brahms hadn't had Joachim write it, he would have written his own cadenza; that is, if it was good enough for Brahms...

The opening movement is pretty unique in that the orchestra begins with this placid D major-arpeggio tune then somehow turns into this raging D-minor storm in which the soloist enters. HIGH DRAMA! Also, Brahms saves the beautiful romantic melody for the soloist -- doesn't let the orchestra introduce it.


But who cares? it sounds great! here's Shaham and Abbado


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXVF7OtJu5E"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXVF7OtJu5E[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AQa541L5-k&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AQa541L5-k&feature=related[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aErotI-7Ls&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aErotI-7Ls&feature=related[/ame]
Some critical contemporary violinist (Sarasate?) thought that the slow movement had no melody for the soloist. It's called "variations." And SchubertGuy will be happy to know the main melody comes from a song that Brahms wrote.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDjB6noe_a0&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDjB6noe_a0&feature=related[/ame]
Last movement

[micrologus]

Thanks for posting this very beautiful concerto!

Although I like the Brahms very, very much ... I'll always prefer the Beethoven

[Mischa]

Best violin concerto? Ok, don't quarrel with a Brahms lobbyist. Needless to say, that the Brahms is simply irresistibly beautiful! Interesting enough is, that the Brahms is said to be the most often recorded violin concerto, even more often recorded than the Tchaikovsky with its blockbuster qualities. Similar to the Beethoven there's hardly any passage to show off as a violinist. Something that was certainly not attractive to the spirit of the 19th century with all these violin virtuosi. I don't know who said it, but someone called the Brahms & Beethoven concerti "music for adults" compared to the other great concerti.

Originally Brahms planned to write at least another movement (a Scherzo), some even claim two, but Joachim convinced him to write the romantic set of three movements. Given that Brahms was no violinist, the score was nothing but an unreasonable demand for the violinists of his time. Critics wrote, it's no concerto for violin but against violin. The famous statement of Sarasate with the oboe in the second movement is more considered a sorry excuse today. Sarasate had pretty small fingers, certain ferocities like double-stops with bigger intervals (longer passages in 10th for instance) hardly ever appear in all of his own virtuosic pieces. The Brahms concerto with its long parts of held double-stops was certainly not his piece. And the role of the violin as a partner of the orchestra was certainly not the role Pablo de Sarasate wished to play on the stage.

I absolutely love the concerto, such a poetic music! I mean, how many ways are there to interprete the Mendelssohn, Bruch or Tchaikovsky and how many different approaches can be chosen to play the Brahms concerto?

(Best violin concerto? --> Beethoven!)

[haydnguy]

Despina41:

And SchubertGuy will be happy to know the main melody comes from a song that Brahms wrote.

I will certainly be happy to know that. Anyone know which one??

[Despina41]

I thought I might get some responses if I went out and boldly claimed that the Brahms is the best concerto. I totally respect and understand everyone's love of the Beethoven, which, for once(!) I think, is more subtle than the Brahms counterpart. But the Beethoven still sounds like high Classicism while the Brahms takes that next step to Romanticism.


Anyway, here's the song "Sapphische Ode,"from opus 94, no. 4. You can hear right away that the oboe-line and the beginning of the vocal line are pretty much the same.


Sapphische Ode

Rosen brach ich nachts mir am dunklen Hage;
Süßer hauchten Duft sie als je am Tage;
Doch verstreuten reich die bewegten Äste
Tau, der mich näßte.

Auch der Küsse Duft mich wie nie berückte,
Die ich nachts vom Strauch deiner Lippen pflückte:
Doch auch dir, bewegt im Gemüt gleich jenen,
Tauten die Tränen.

[ame]http://www.classicalmusicforum.net/music/Brahms_lied_op94_4_Sapphische_0de_.mp3[/ame]

This is Quasthoff and Zeyen again, from the Brahms-Liszt Lieder album.

Sapphic Ode

Roses from the dark hedge I plucked at night;
They breathed sweeter fragrance than ever during the day;
But the moving branches abundantly shed
The dew that showered me.

Thus your kisses' fragrance enticed me as never before,
As at night I plucked the flower of your lips:
But you too, moved in spirit as they were,
Shed a dew of tears.

[Despina41]

Who took out the PERIOD in this thread title? Come on, people, it's the Brahms Listening Group - of course it's the best violin concerto he wrote!

[micrologus]

Originally Posted by Despina41

Who took out the PERIOD in this thread title? Come on, people, it's the Brahms Listening Group - of course it's the best violin concerto he wrote!

OK! Yes of course, it's the best HE wrote

[Kuhlau]

I'll join Despina in her call for the inclusion of Sibelius' Violin Concerto in a 'Big Four'.

FK

[Philidor]

Originally Posted by Despina41

Who took out the PERIOD in this thread title? Come on, people, it's the Brahms Listening Group - of course it's the best violin concerto he wrote!

Oh Lordy that was me. I was a fool to mess with the BLG. Fulsome apologies. Where d'you want it? I'll replace it double quick pronto but need precise instructions.

[micrologus]

Originally Posted by Philidor

Oh Lordy that was me. I was a fool to mess with the BLG. Fulsome apologies. Where d'you want it? I'll replace it double quick pronto but need precise instructions.