Page 720 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book
P. 720
Barber: Violin Concerto
When Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto was premiered in 1941, 20th-century
Modernism was at something of a high water mark in classical music. However, you
wouldn't know it from this beautiful, lyrical concerto, which looks back to composers
such as Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov.
• Barber's Violin Concerto: 3 of the best recordings
The first movement is sweet-toned and vigorous; the second has a plangent quality
that can bring out goose pimples in the right performance, and a major-key
resolution that can feel quite overwhelming.
Recommended recording: Gil Shaham (violin), London Symphony Orchestra /
André Previn (Deutsche Grammophon).
