Page 738 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book
P. 738
Moeran: Violin Concerto
Ernest John Moeran is a composer who doesn't get enough love in general, and
that's particularly true for his gorgeous Violin Concerto. The mood of the first
movement is pastoral: Vaughan Williams fans will find much to enjoy here. The
second movement is a valse alla burlesca, a powerful waltz that manages to sound
both boisterous and mysterious, as if a great gust of chill winter air has been blown
into a medieval banqueting hall.
Recommended recording: Lydia Mordkovitch (violin), Ulster Orchestra / Vernon
Handley (Chandos).
Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5
Which of Mozart's five Violin Concertos to choose for our list? Well' we've opted (by
a whisker) for the Fifth Concerto. That's partly because the orchestra has more to do
in this final concerto, where in the other four it has largely accompanied the violin
part. But there's also that memorable Finale, with its so-called 'Turkish' elements: a
nod to a contemporary craze for all things Ottoman.
