Dvorak Violin Concerto
So, I am a huge fan of the romantic concertos for violin. Among my favorites are the usual Tchaik, Bruch, Mendelssohn, and the Sibelius. I recently listened to the Dvorak concerto all the way through, and I must admit that it totally blew all the others out of the water. I loved it. (I am also a huge Dvorak fan). Why is this concerto not as popular as other ones? It is certainly a great piece. My last question is: with the standard romantic concertos (including Beethoven) what pieces are around the same level of overall difficulty?
Replies (16)
I love this concerto as well, especially the 3rd movement and I don't know why it isn't more popular. Dorothy Delay puts it between Lalo and Vieuxtemps 4/5 on her concerto sequence.
I'm curious why it's not a fun piece to teach.
I ignored it for a long time until I heard Midori's recording... perhaps other people did not grasp the intensity and depth?
I've always enjoyed it (Suk and Milstein, then Chung)
Many great works are seldom performed. Maybe it's just that audiences don't know them: few orchestras these days want to take risks when they hire a soloist. Why should they take a risk when they KNOW they can fill the seats with Tchaikovsky? The situation is similar for other instruments. Orchestras program a narrow range of piano concerto. I feel like I play the Rach Paganini Variations like every other year.
As far as Dvorak specifically, I think, especially having studied it, that it's an "almost great" concerto. In my opinion, it suffers from similar structural problems as many other Dvorak works in that occasionally, there comes a point in the music where the composer seems at a loss-- he's unable to make a really convincing connection between large sections and the flow is lost. Don't get me wrong-Dvorak has written some of the best moments in the repertoire. It's just that he more typically writes here-and-there great moments in between humdrum filler than, say, Tchaikovsky, who is able to connect all of his great material.
I think I'm correct in saying that the Dvorak VC has the highest fingered note in the repertoire - the 3rd A up on the E (one of the hairier moments, perhaps?).
Isn't there a note in the Schoenberg that is fingered halfway between the fingerboard and the bridge or something?
Personally I would rather hear a deeply thoughtful interpretation of a lesser-known work in a recital or concert, instead of an overplayed repertoire mainstay.
The Kodaly sonata Op 8 for solo cello extends over 5 octaves, all fingered. But then, the cello has certain ergonomic advantages over its smaller siblings in ultra-high position playing (i.e., it's easier!)
Highest note? Wasn't that in "Twinkle"? Oh right, my bow got stuck behind the bridge! ;-)
But back to the lesser popularity of the Dvorak - I heard Silverstein speculate that the last mvt. doesn't end with a big "HAZA" like many others do. I got to know it through the lovely and elegant Joseph Suk LP and there is a wonderful performance of it on Youtube by Aaron Rosand.
Edit just listened to it again after some time in this excellent Hadlich performance https://youtu.be/A8xjobNz-Mo
Contra Mr. Silverstein, it does rather end with a "haza". Maybe I'm mis-remembering and S. was referring to a different concerto. I also like the flexible-looking jacket that Hadlich is wearing. I'd like to find something like that...
Trevor...the end of the first movement of Saint-Saens 3 has a B on the E-string higher than the Dvorak A...and Paganini's 7th caprice has a C even high than that.
Not to mention - the Dvorak sits much more awkwardly than Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and other "mainstream" concerti...each movement has its minefield sections: the C theme in the Rondo has tremendously difficult passagework. I tip my hat to those who play it well!
Favorite recordings, everyone? Isabelle Faust has a tremendous first page...Julia Fischer has an alluring sound...Mutter raises my blood pressure.
Andrew, thanks for that information. I don't think (as in "pretty damn sure") I'm ever going to be a position where I'll be performing any of the three listed in the first para of your post, or those in the second para, for that matter!
[Apr 25, 2016 edit added: it occurs to me that the high B in Saint-Saëns 3 might well be played as a harmonic (safer and clearer?). P was of course in a class of his own, with his extra long fingers.]
Trevor...note Julia vibrating the last note and extending it past the printed value...that's the way to end the movement! No harmonic on that B.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SqVUpcZW-g
Andrew, thank you; I stand corrected.
"he's unable to make a really convincing connection between large sections and the flow is lost"
I often feel this way about the likes of Viotti, Viextemps, or Wienawski (although their slow movements can be lovely,) but Dvorak's themes are so moving..
I'm not having a single word said against the Dvorak cello concerto!
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April 21, 2016 at 06:43 PM · It's a wonderful concerto, but it's not as technically demanding as say Brahms, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky. It's still an extremely hairy piece to pull off from start to finish, just simply falls short of greatness.
It is performed quite a bit (and usually a crowd pleaser), so I wouldn't call it not as popular but if you're at the level to pull of the Dvorak concerto then you can either jump straight to the big boy concertos for future auditions and such, or move to some which are not quite so exhausting. Saint-Saëns, Vieuxtemps, Bartok, Prokofiev, etc... almost too many concertos are on par with the Dvorak difficulty to list. I've only taught it to a handful of student over the years. It's not a fun piece to teach but having performed it many times since I was in school, it still remains my favorite. Also, musically it's a bit barren.