Page 16 - Phil Beethoven program book digital version_Neat

The following program notes are copyright Susan Halpern, 2022.

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, in D Major, Op. 61 Ludwig van Beethoven

Late in 1806, Beethoven paused while working on his Symphony No. 5 to write a violin
concerto for the Viennese violinist Franz Clement (1780 - 1842). He had known Clement
since 1794, when Beethoven was himself just one of many brilliant young pianists
in Vienna and had sent the fourteen-year-old violinist a letter of endorsement and
encouragement. By the time of the Concerto’s composition, Clement had performed
in London under Haydn, acquired an official position at court, and had been appointed
leader (that is concertmaster and conductor) of the important new Theater an der
Wien.

The Violin Concerto was almost certainly written to suit Clement’s style and skills.
However, there were clear signs that he did not live up to his former performance
level or his reputation and that Beethoven became disappointed in him. In 1813, when
the composer, Carl Maria von Weber, became head of the Prague Opera, he hired
Clement but quickly found his playing unsatisfactory. In 1824, Beethoven took great
pains to avoid having Clement as concertmaster for the first performance of the Ninth
Symphony; subsequently, Clement died in poverty.

Beethoven usually assembled his serious works slowly and painstakingly, but he wrote
the Violin Concerto quickly, even hurriedly, for a performance at a concert Clement
gave on December 23, 1806. The work was not finished until the last moment, too late
for the soloist to rehearse it with the orchestra, but Clement had no doubt familiarized
himself with his part during the writing. As unlikely as that may seem now, it was not
an uncommon situation then, although it was admitted to be an undesirable one. Other
common practices of the time would also surprise the modern concertgoer: the first
movement was played before intermission and the others after; as part of the concert,
for a real showpiece, Clement played a work of his own composition, holding the violin
upside down!

One reviewer wrote after the first performance, “Concerning Beethoven’s Concerto,
the judgment of connoisseurs is unanimous. Its many beauties must be conceded,
but it must also be acknowledged that the endless repetition of certain commonplace
passages may become tedious. It must be said that Beethoven could better employ his
talents by giving us works such as the First [and Second] Symphonies, the charming
Septet and others of his earlier compositions.” [Abridged] One wonders if the critic
then took into account that he heard this difficult new composition in a hasty reading
rather than in a studied performance. The Concerto was slow in making its way into
the world; it was not until years later, when Joseph Joachim began to play it all over

PAGE 14 Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra