Page 727 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book
P. 727
Bruch: Violin Concerto
Some composers seem to achieve a heightened level of expressive power in one
particular medium. That certainly seems to be the case with Max Bruch, whose
three Symphonies are pleasant if unspectacular, but whose Violin Concerto is one of
the pinnacles of the form.
The work opens in exhilarating style, with a quiet dialogue between soloist and
orchestra. The violin grows in confidence, eventually unfurling its main theme over a
taut, expectant background of timpani and tremolando strings. That main theme is
filled with a sense of – what? – foreboding, or mystery; the second theme is a
sweeter, more lyrical affair.
