Violin Concerto No. 2 (Lindberg)

Last updated

The Violin Concerto No. 2 is a composition for violin solo and orchestra by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. The work was jointly commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Radio France, and New York Philharmonic. Its world premiere was given by the violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Jaap van Zweden at Royal Festival Hall, London, on December 9, 2015. The piece is dedicated to Zimmermann. [1] [2]

Contents

Composition

The concerto has a duration of approximately 25 minutes and is cast in three movements played without pause. [1]

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo violin and an orchestra consisting of two flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, two percussionists, harp, celesta, and strings. [1]

Reception

The concerto has received a positive response from music critics. Reviewing the world premiere, Ivan Hewett of The Daily Telegraph compared the work favorably to Lindberg's Violin Concerto No. 1, saying: [3]

it proved to be a bigger-boned, more expansive utterance than his first [and] reminded us why Lindberg is the go-to composer for many orchestras in search of a user-friendly premiere. It gave an agreeable sense that modernist abstraction doesn't have to be penitentially austere, in fact it can be made to sound positively gorgeous.

Richard Fairman of the Financial Times wrote:

His new violin concerto unfolds with a massive, expansive feel to it, like the soundtrack to some epic Scandinavian film noir. Musical theorists will be pleased to note that a large proportion of the score is derived from a three-chord progression played by the violin at the outset, so there is no lack of technical discipline. The atmosphere, though, is brooding. From time to time soloist Frank Peter Zimmermann laboured over passages full of notes that do not seem to be going anywhere — but each time the concerto gets to its next destination, a panoramic vista opens up of dark clouds over forests and lakes, of repressed passions and baleful desires. Perhaps there is a film composer inside Lindberg struggling to get out. [4]

Reviewing the New York City premiere, James R. Oestreich of The New York Times similarly observed: [5]

The work, in three continuous movements interrupted only by an extended cadenza, is big and attractive, deeply satisfying in its proportions and contours.

Sean Piccoli of the New York Classical Review was more critical of the piece, however, remarking: [6]

The concerto is an attractive set piece for reconciling Respighi's love of orderly harmony within Stravinsky's search for beauty in chaos. How it fared strictly on its own terms, as a standalone work of three movements including a fiery cadenza, was less certain.

Related Research Articles

Violin Concerto (Adams)

The Violin Concerto by the American composer John Adams was written in 1993. Its premiere was on January 19, 1994 by Jorja Fleezanis with the Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Edo de Waart, at the Ordway Music Theater, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

EXPO is an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. It was the first work commissioned by the New York Philharmonic under the conductor Alan Gilbert, and was Lindberg's first commission as the orchestra's composer-in-residence. The piece was first performed on September 16, 2009 at Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, during Alan Gilbert's inaugural concert with the New York Philharmonic. EXPO was the first newly commissioned work to open the New York Philharmonic's concert season since the premiere of Aaron Copland's Connotations under Leonard Bernstein on September 23, 1962.

Violin Concerto (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, in 1806. Its first performance by Franz Clement was unsuccessful and for some decades the work languished in obscurity, until revived in 1844 by the then 12-year-old violinist Joseph Joachim with the orchestra of the London Philharmonic Society conducted by Felix Mendelssohn. Since then it has become one of the best-known violin concertos.

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Esa-Pekka Salonen is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music director of the San Francisco Symphony.

Magnus Lindberg

Magnus Gustaf Adolf Lindberg is a Finnish composer and pianist. He was the New York Philharmonic's composer-in-residence from 2009 to 2012 and has been the London Philharmonic Orchestra's composer-in-residence since the beginning of the 2014–15 season.

Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)

Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, is his last large orchestral work. It holds an important place in the violin repertoire and is one of the most popular and most frequently performed violin concertos in history. A typical performance lasts just under half an hour.

Lisa Batiashvili Georgian musician (born 1979)

Elisabeth Batiashvili, professionally known as Lisa Batiashvili, is a prominent Georgian violinist active across Europe and the United States. A former New York Philharmonic artist-in-residence, she is acclaimed for her "natural elegance, silky sound and the meticulous grace of her articulation". Batiashvili makes frequent appearances at high-profile international events; she was the violin soloist at the 2018 Nobel Prize concert.

Benjamin Britten's Piano Concerto, Op. 13, is the composer's sole piano concerto.

The Piano Concerto No. 2 is a composition for solo piano and orchestra by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. The work was jointly commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic, for which Lindberg was then composer-in-residence. It was given its world premiere at Avery Fisher Hall on May 3, 2012 by the pianist Yefim Bronfman and the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Alan Gilbert.

The Violin Concerto No. 1 is a composition for solo violin and orchestra by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. The work was commissioned by the Mostly Mozart Festival and was composed in 2006. It was given its world premiere at Avery Fisher Hall on August 22, 2006 by the violinist Lisa Batiashvili and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra under the direction of Louis Langrée.

The Cello Concerto No. 2 is the second cello concerto by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. It was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in June 2013 to fill the planned premiere date of Oliver Knussen's then delayed Cello Concerto. The work was first performed in the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, on October 18, 2013 by the Finnish cellist Anssi Karttunen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Souvenir is a composition for chamber orchestra by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, for which Lindberg was then composer-in-residence. It was given its world premiere on November 19, 2010 at Symphony Space, New York City, by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Alan Gilbert. The piece was written in memoriam for Lindberg's friend and fellow composer Gérard Grisey.

Scottish composer James MacMillan composed his Viola Concerto in 2013. The work was jointly commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Its world premiere was given by the violist Lawrence Power and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Vladimir Jurowski in the Royal Festival Hall, London, on 15 January 2014. The piece is dedicated to Lawrence Power.

Al largo is a composition for orchestra by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. It was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic while Lindberg served as the orchestra's composer-in-residence. Its world premiere was given by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Alan Gilbert at Avery Fisher Hall on June 23, 2010.

Sculpture is an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. The music was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic with support from the Koussevitzky Music Foundation to celebrate the orchestra's inaugural season at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Its world premiere was given by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen on October 6, 2005.

Parada is an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. The piece was composed for the music festival Related Rocks which celebrates the works of Lindberg and related composers. Its world premiere was given at The Anvil, Basingstoke on February 6, 2002 by the Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen, to whom the work is dedicated.

Cantigas is an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. The work was commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra and was composed between 1998 and early 1999. Its world premiere was performed in Cleveland by the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Christoph von Dohnányi on April 1, 1999.

Two Episodes is a composition for orchestra by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. The work was commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, for which Lindberg is composer-in-residence, and co-commissioned by The Proms, the Helsinki Festival, and the Casa da Música. It was first performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Vladimir Jurowski in the Royal Albert Hall, London, on July 24, 2016.

The Organ Concerto is a composition for solo organ and orchestra by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned for the organist Paul Jacobs by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the National Symphony Orchestra. It was completed on June 23, 2014 and was first performed by Paul Jacobs and the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on November 17, 2016. Rouse dedicated the piece to Jacobs.

The Violin Concerto No. 1 is the first violin concerto by the British composer Peter Maxwell Davies. It was commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to commemorate the ensemble's 40th anniversary. The work was completed in 1985 and first performed at the St Magnus Festival by the violinist Isaac Stern and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by André Previn on 21 June 1986. The piece is dedicated to Isaac Stern.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lindberg, Magnus (2015). "Violin Concerto No. 2". Boosey & Hawkes . Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Magnus Lindberg's two violin concertos in London". Boosey & Hawkes. November 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  3. ↑ Hewett, Ivan (10 December 2015). "London Philharmonic Orchestra with violinist FP Zimmermann, Royal Festival Hall, review: 'ripe romanticism'". The Daily Telegraph . Telegraph Media Group . Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  4. ↑ Fairman, Richard (December 11, 2015). "Lindberg's Second Violin Concerto, Royal Festival Hall, London". Financial Times . Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  5. ↑ Oestreich, James R. (January 15, 2016). "Review: The New York Philharmonic Offers Works by Modern Masters". The New York Times . Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  6. ↑ Piccoli, Sean (January 16, 2016). "Old worlds collide and make the strongest impact with Gilbert, Philharmonic". New York Classical Review. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.