# Beethoven Violin Concerto



## classicool

Of all his masterful works, I think the Violin Concerto is one of the most remarkable. From the bold simplicity of the opening 4 quarter notes played on, of all instruments, the timpani (!) to the memorable lyricism inherent in both the violin and the orchestral statements, the work takes on the sensibility of a symphony on a grand scale. It's one of his most underperformed pieces, but below is info on a rare opportunity to hear a masterful rendition of this composition. May you enjoy all your Beethoven listening.

ALL BEETHOVEN!

When:
Feb. 19th, 8pm

Where:
Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church
152 W. 66th St., New York, NY 10023
(between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.)
1 train at 66th St.-Lincoln Center

What:
All Beethoven! His monumental Violin Concerto performed by New York's Nova Philharmonic and the legendary Daniel Phillips. Visionary maestro Dong-Hyun Kim also conducts the First Symphony. Phillips has performed and recorded with such legends as Yo-Yo Ma and is a founder of the acclaimed Orion String Quartet, which has residencies at Lincoln Center's Chamber Music Society and has had works written for them by the likes of Wynton Marsalis and Chick Corea. The Nova Philharmonic regularly performs the masterworks of the symphonic repertoire while working with some of classical music's most noteworthy soloists.

Program:
Beethoven Violin Concerto
Beethoven Symphony No. 1

Tickets:
$25, $15 seniors/students

Website:
www.novaphil.blog.me

Contact:
[email protected]


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## neofite

"Of all his masterful works, I think the Violin Concerto is one of the most remarkable."

This is very interesting. It raises the question of whether it applies to more than just Beethoven. I can think of several additional examples, beginning with Mendelssohn. 

Is there anything to this? And, if so, what is the reason? For example, could it be because the solo violin is perhaps the most beautiful, versatile and human voice-like component of the orchestra?


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## Pugg

neofite said:


> "Of all his masterful works, I think the Violin Concerto is one of the most remarkable."
> 
> This is very interesting. It raises the question of whether it applies to more than just Beethoven. I can think of several additional examples, beginning with Mendelssohn.
> 
> Is there anything to this? And, if so, what is the reason? For example, could it be because the solo violin is perhaps the most beautiful, versatile and human voice-like component of the orchestra?


It was more a advert/ announcement for a concert dates from February *2013*


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## hpowders

OP: Yes, I agree. 

The two most personal, spiritual and finest compositions by Beethoven are IMO, the Violin Concerto and Missa Solemnis.

There is almost NOTHING that can transfix this listener more than a great performance of the Violin Concerto.

Here the greatest musical instrument, save the human voice, meets its greatest concerto.


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## DavidA

Obviously this is been used as an advert for this concert but the Beethoven violin Concerto is certainly one of his greatest works and probably the greatest violin Concerto ever written.


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## Animal the Drummer

"Probably the greatest violin concerto" by what criterion exactly?


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## Art Rock

never mind, should not preempt.


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## hpowders

Animal the Drummer said:


> "Probably the greatest violin concerto" by what criterion exactly?


Perhaps, we need a poll? "Greatest violin concerto?"

I'm voting for the Clement!!


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

hpowders said:


> Perhaps, we need a poll? "Greatest violin concerto?"


Doesn't hurt to go at it for the 25th time


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## hpowders

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Doesn't hurt to go at it for the 25th time


Yeah, but how about a greatest violin concerto poll AND your choice must be defended....I'm envisioning something well beyond the depth of STI!

I'm getting a slight migraine just thinking about it. So this is what it's like to exercise one's brain?

Curiously refreshing!


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

hpowders said:


> Yeah, but how about a greatest violin concerto poll *AND your choice must be defended.*...I'm envisioning something well beyond the depth of STI!
> 
> I'm getting a slight migraine just thinking about it. So this is what it's like to exercise one's brain?
> 
> Curiously refreshing!


 Is "because it is" good enough a defense?


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## hpowders

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Is "because it is" good enough a defense?


It's a winner!


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## hpowders

I would go so far as to say Beethoven wrote the two finest violin concertos-one purely instrumental and the other with vocal accompaniment-the Missa Solemnis.


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## lluissineu

As I see You're absolutely convinced Beethoven wrote The greatist violin concerto, but, which recordings would you go for?

For me Perlman/Giulini or Menuhin/Klemperer.

This said, IMO there are others violin concertos I like as much as Beethoven's , provided Beethoven's Is wonderful (agreed).


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## Bettina

hpowders said:


> I would go so far as to say Beethoven wrote the two finest violin concertos-one purely instrumental and the other with vocal accompaniment-the Missa Solemnis.


Yes, and his two Romances for violin and orchestra are wonderful too! I think of them as mini-concertos.


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## hpowders

lluissineu said:


> As I see You're absolutely convinced Beethoven wrote The greatist violin concerto, but, which recordings would you go for?
> 
> For me Perlman/Giulini or Menuhin/Klemperer.
> 
> This said, IMO there are others violin concertos I like as much as Beethoven's , provided Beethoven's Is wonderful (agreed).


The best one I know is Zino Francescatti/Bruno Walter.


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## Pugg

DavidA said:


> Obviously this is been used as an advert for this concert but the Beethoven violin Concerto is certainly one of his greatest works and probably the greatest violin Concerto ever written.


From February 2013.


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## Animal the Drummer

hpowders said:


> Perhaps, we need a poll? "Greatest violin concerto?"
> 
> I'm voting for the Clement!!


Couldn't swear to it, but I've a feeling there was one on here and the Brahms concerto won.


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## hpowders

Animal the Drummer said:


> Couldn't swear to it, but I've a feeling there was one on here and the Brahms concerto won.


Sincerely, I cannot in all honesty choose which is finer, the Beethoven or Brahms Violin Concerto.

All I will say is the finest violin concerto ever written is a tossup between those two.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

Bettina said:


> Yes, and his two Romances for violin and orchestra are wonderful too! I think of them as mini-concertos.


I don't know why but the two Romances bore me. That is very unusual for Beethoven's music to do to me.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

hpowders said:


> Sincerely, I cannot in all honesty choose which is finer, the Beethoven or Brahms Violin Concerto.
> 
> All I will say is the finest violin concerto ever written is a tossup between those two.


Aye aye. I choose Beethoven's but the Brahms' isn't far behind. Also, Sibelius is up there with the best. And a handful others


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## hpowders

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Aye aye. I choose Beethoven's but the Brahms' isn't far behind. Also, Sibelius is up there with the best. And a handful others


Yes the Sibelius is very fine and others would swear the Bartok 2 is the finest.


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## hpowders

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> I don't know why but the two Romances bore me. That is very unusual for Beethoven's music to do to me.


Me too. I find the Romances disappointingly dull.


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## Bettina

hpowders said:


> Me too. I find the Romances disappointingly dull.


Perhaps it's because they're often played too slowly. As far as I know, Beethoven didn't specify any tempo marking for the Romances--but for some reason, almost everybody plays them at a snail's pace!


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

Bettina said:


> Perhaps it's because they're often played too slowly. As far as I know, Beethoven didn't specify any tempo marking for the Romances--but for some reason, almost everybody plays them at a snail's pace!


I've heard them at slow speeds and I've heard them at fast speeds and they don't do it for me at any pace.


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## hpowders

Bettina said:


> Perhaps it's because they're often played too slowly. As far as I know, Beethoven didn't specify any tempo marking for the Romances--but for some reason, almost everybody plays them at a snail's pace!


Gallant try...but it's the music. Puts me to sleep. One step away from Wellington's Victory.

Not Beethoven at his most inspired, IMO.


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## Animal the Drummer

Both the Beethoven and the Brahms concertos are long-standing favourites of mine. My vote would go to the Brahms and, though I may invite brickbats for saying so, I'd edge the Elgar into second place ahead of the Beethoven for its greater variety of mood, but even so there are times when I find only the Beethoven will do.


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## hpowders

Bettina said:


> Perhaps it's because they're often played too slowly. As far as I know, Beethoven didn't specify any tempo marking for the Romances--but for some reason, almost everybody plays them at a snail's pace!


Perhaps Beethoven's favorite subject for him to be inspired wasn't "Romance"?


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## lluissineu

Animal the Drummer said:


> Both the Beethoven and the Brahms concertos are long-standing favourites of mine. My vote would go to the Brahms and, though I may invite brickbats for saying so, I'd edge the Elgar into second place ahead of the Beethoven for its greater variety of mood, but even so there are times when I find only the Beethoven will do.


 Just my order: Brahms, Elgar, Beethoven, Sibelius, but, as you said, there are times when I find only the Beethoven will do

I like Mendelssohn's (all), Mozart's, Shostakovitch and Schumann's


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## Art Rock

I love the Beethoven VC, but I rank Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Bruch 1 higher. Beethoven comes in on par with Sibelius and Moeran.

I agree with the comments on the romances.


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## Merl

Yep, I find the romances a little dull too but Wellington's Victory is plain boring.


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## hpowders

Art Rock said:


> I love the Beethoven VC, but I rank Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Bruch 1 higher. Beethoven comes in on par with Sibelius and Moeran.
> 
> I agree with the comments on the romances.


The Bruch higher than the Beethoven? Interesting.


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## hpowders

Merl said:


> Yep, I find the romances a little dull too but Wellington's Victory is plain boring.


Yeah, but if you were actually there during the battle, you may have found the real Wellington's Victory exciting!


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

hpowders said:


> Yeah, but if you were actually there during the battle, you may have found the real Wellington's Victory exciting!


Not if you were French.


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## hpowders

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Not if you were French.


I'm glad the British won. I like the sound of Beef Wellington much better than Beef Brigitte.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

hpowders said:


> I'm glad the British won. I like the sound of Beef Wellington much better than Beef Brigitte.


Yet we have Napoleon cake. Seems like Wellington's victory wasn't all that decisive for the British after all


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## lluissineu

Remember Wellington's army was not alone. It was a coalition of seven countries and general Von Blücher (prussian) played an important role in the victory.


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## Pugg

lluissineu said:


> Remember Wellington's army was not alone. It was a coalition of seven countries and general Von Blücher (prussian) played an important role in the victory.


Someone who knows history. :tiphat:


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## DavidA

One problem in interpreting the Beethoven violin Concerto has been the tempo of the first movement. Beethoven marks it Allegro Ma non troppo - i.e. Quick but not too quick - but over the years a certain reverence built up for the work which meant that the tempo in many performances was more andante. Heifetz was one of those who saw that Beethoven's tempo was a lot faster then was usually the case in performance and he was often accused of turning down the spirituality of the work whereas in fact at faster tempo the drama of the work comes out - important in Beethoven.


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## hpowders

I prefer the more reverential slower tempo taken in the first movement. 

I feel Heifetz and Rosand are too fast.

Francescatti, Pine, Repin and a ton of others get it right.

The great first movement has inherent dignity and nobility about it which are glossed over when the tempo is too fast.


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## lluissineu

hpowders said:


> I prefer the more reverential slower tempo taken in the first movement.
> 
> I feel Heifetz and Rosand are too fast.
> 
> Francescatti, Pine, Repin and a ton of others get it right.
> 
> The great first movement has inherent dignity and nobility about it which are glossed over when the tempo is too fast.


I do as well prefer a slower tempo. I like Perlman/Giulini, with a beautiful sound. Today I bought Heifetz/mitropoulos, along with other cd's, including Dvorak's new World Symphony by Karel Ancerl (must say it was a second hand auction I came across this morning, in front of my office).

By the way, has someone listened to the piano transcription of the violin concerto?. I have a recording with D. Barenboim. must tell the truth, I don't like it.


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## Bettina

lluissineu said:


> I do as well prefer a slower tempo. I like Perlman/Giulini, with a beautiful sound. Today I bought Heifetz/mitropoulos, along with other cd's, including Dvorak's new World Symphony by Karel Ancerl (must say it was a second hand auction I came across this morning, in front of my office).
> 
> By the way, has someone listened to the piano transcription of the violin concerto?. I have a recording with D. Barenboim. must tell the truth, I don't like it.


I agree, I don't like it either. The violin concerto is a masterpiece, but the piano transcription is disappointing.

Beethoven didn't make much of an effort to rearrange the notes for the piano--he basically just gave the violin part to the right hand, and added a few (uninteresting) chords for the left hand. Such a shame (but on the other hand, it's reassuring to see that even a genius like Beethoven wasn't inspired all the time...it makes me feel better about my own failings. )


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## hpowders

lluissineu said:


> I do as well prefer a slower tempo. I like Perlman/Giulini, with a beautiful sound. Today I bought Heifetz/mitropoulos, along with other cd's, including Dvorak's new World Symphony by Karel Ancerl (must say it was a second hand auction I came across this morning, in front of my office).
> 
> By the way, has someone listened to the piano transcription of the violin concerto?. I have a recording with D. Barenboim. must tell the truth, I don't like it.


The piano concerto is a let down.


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## hpowders

As for the Violin Concerto, common sense trumps tempo markings.

The opening timpani beats sound so much more dignified played deliberately than fast as in Heifetz/Munch. Munch being a great conductor, I blame the speed up on Heifetz.

Once the proper tempo for the timpani has been established, that dignified deliberate tempo gets incorporated for the entire work.


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