Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)

The Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, is a landmark work by Felix Mendelssohn. It stands as one of the most highly regarded pieces in the history of violin music. For aspiring concert violinists, mastering this concerto is considered an essential step in their professional training. A typical performance of the entire work lasts just under thirty minutes. It is a defining masterpiece of the Romantic era. This period of music history focused on deep emotion and technical brilliance.

The creation of this concerto was a unique professional collaboration. Mendelssohn proposed the idea to his close friend, Ferdinand David. David was the concertmaster of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. This means he was the lead violinist of that orchestra. Mendelssohn conceived the idea in 1838, but the work took six years to finish. During this long period, Mendelssohn wrote many letters to David. He sought technical and compositional advice to ensure the music worked perfectly for the instrument. This method of working with a professional performer influenced many future composers.

The concerto follows a standard three-movement structure. However, Mendelssohn introduced many innovative features that departed from Classical traditions. The first movement, titled Allegro molto appassionato, lasts between 12 and 14 minutes. It begins with the solo violin entering almost immediately. This is different from traditional concertos, which usually start with an orchestral introduction. The second movement, Andante, is a slow, lyrical section lasting 7 to 9 minutes. The final movement, Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace, is a lively finale lasting 6 to 7 minutes. It begins with a bright trumpet fanfare.

One of the most striking innovations is the through-composed form. In many older works, there are pauses between the movements. Mendelssohn designed these movements to be played attacca. This means the music flows directly from one part to the next without a break. For example, a bassoon note connects the first and second movements. A brief transitional passage connects the second and third movements. This design was intended to eliminate applause between the movements. This was a surprising change for audiences used to traditional structures.

The first movement also features a highly unusual cadenza. A cadenza is a section where the soloist performs difficult, flashy music. In the Classical era, soloists usually improvised these parts themselves. Mendelssohn broke this tradition by writing the cadenza out in full. This ensures the performer plays exactly what the composer intended. The cadenza builds speed through rhythmic shifts, moving from quavers to semiquavers. It even requires a technique called ricochet bowing. This involves the bow bouncing across the strings to create rapid notes.

The history of the score has also revealed interesting details. The concerto premiered in Leipzig on March 13, 1845. Ferdinand David performed as the soloist. Because Mendelssohn was ill, the Danish composer Niels Gade conducted the orchestra. In 1989, an original manuscript was found in Kraków. This discovery caused scholars to look closely at earlier published editions. They found that Mendelssohn’s handwritten notes differed from published versions. For instance, he wrote "Allegro con fuoco," meaning "with fire," instead of "Allegro molto appassionato."

This concerto left a lasting legacy on the world of music. Many famous composers adopted Mendelssohn's innovations. Tchaikovsky placed his cadenza in a similar position in his own violin concerto. The way Mendelssohn linked his movements influenced Liszt's Second Piano Concerto. The work has remained popular for nearly two centuries. In 1948, a recording of the concerto was released as the very first LP record. Today, it remains a vital test of skill for the world's greatest violinists.