Violin Concerto in 5 linked sections or movements

Violin Concerto (opus 40) was composed in 1981 and extensively revised in 1990. It was premiered in 1992 by the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Christopher Gay with Vanya Milanova as soloist. 

The concerto is pentagonal in shape and consists of five interlinked sections: Threnody 1 – accompanied Cadenza 1 – Scherzino – accompanied Cadenza 2 – Threnody 2. 

All of the musical material is derived from the 12-note row stated by the soloist at the outset. The row is designed so that the open string pitches of the solo instrument are given due prominence, thus enabling the violin to fulfill its idiomatic role within a serial context.

After its initial entry, the violin becomes part of the general musical conversation, gradually asserting its role as soloist as Threnody 1 builds to a climax. After accompanied Cadenza 1, the first half of the work is rounded off with a brief recall of thematic material from Threnody 1. 

The second half of the concerto commences with a sardonic Scherzino in which brass instruments vie with the soloist. Much of this section is built from the last four notes of the 12-note row -a kind of musical ‘tag’. Accompanied Cadenza 2, which follows, is scored for solo violin, oboe and timpani. The final section, Threnody 2, commences with a duo for violin and oboe in which the listener is taken through an at times dream-like, at other times dramatic landscape, until the opening of the work is reached with a closing restatement of the 12-note row. The rather sudden ending to the concerto was later replaced by a more extended ending.

The concerto is noteworthy for its conciseness and sense of balance, so that the soloist always manages to sound through the orchestra however dense the texture.

Duration: C 15 minutes