Let’s stick with his violin concerti. I’m very curious how his five of them developed over time.
The Recording
Same as yesterday. I’m listening to Nikolaus Harnoncourt lead the Vienna Philharmonic with Gidon Kremer on solo violin.
Violin Concerto no. 2 in D Major, K. 211
1. Allegro moderato
- Light orchestra. Oboe and horns only in addition to strings.
- Bouncy ebullient music.
- Lots of real back and forth between string orchestra and soloist.
- Very pleasant movement. Almost pastoral though not overtly so.
2. Andante
- Light.
- With dramatic swells. Lots of feeling in this.
- Some really delicate moments.
- Long stretches without lower voiced instruments. It all hovers in the air.
3. Allegro
- Dance-like feeling.
- Delicate and refined virtuosity from soloist.
- Though surprisingly mild for the final movement.
Takeaways
This is a perfectly pleasant and enjoyable piece of music, but I didn’t perceive anything that was radically surprising about it. The whole piece felt very refined, mild even, though there were sections during the second movement that were very affecting.
If there was anything that caught my ear compositionally, it was the careful combined efforts of the orchestra string sections and the soloist. There were some very good effects – most notably in the first and second movements – that would have been impossible without that collaboration. I enjoyed that part of the piece very much.
Until next time!
