The Brahms Violin concerto is awesome to a tee. The extensive violin cadenzas of the piece make this the beauty that it is. The violin has always endeared me to orchestra music and this piece is such a fine display of the violin’s virtuosic quality.
The piece starts in a D major tonality. The orchestra is really very generous in what it gives as a backdrop for the violinist. There is an awesome cacophony of color going on between the violin and the rest of the orchestra. It is pure orange or pure gold. This was because Brahms was such a perfectionist that he wanted only the best arrangements around. A moderate allegro is in the opening movement with flashy bits of color from the solo violin and the orchestra swirling around in more than a bit of whimsy. Violin phrasings are a bit different than normal, opting for more sixteenth and eighth note phrases rather than dealing with rangy parts that would require too many bowing directions.
The second movement follows sonata form by going to F major and giving us a dazzling display from a dark mood in the latter half of the first movement to a bright tone of hope in the major key. By the time these two movements over 16 cadenza movements had been recorded over these two movements.
The third movement made a significant return to form for the D major key. It is the last slap bang of the whole piece. The final culmination is a hero’s piece that Brahms was aiming for the whole time. The violinist is in and out but is part of the orchestra as a whole. It is the final offering in a grand piece of orchestral brilliance. The technical demands all through the piece are at the top of the virtuosic scale. Talk about hours of practice!
