Carl Nielsen
Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer.
Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he ...
's ''Concerto for Violin and orchestra, op. 33
.F.61' was written for
Hungarian violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
ist Dr.
Emil Telmányi
Emil Telmányi (22 June 1892 – 13 June 1988) was a Hungarian violinist.
Telmányi was born in Arad, Partium, Transylvania, then in the Kingdom of Hungary.
In 1911 he gave the Berlin premiere of the Violin Concerto of Sir Edward Elga ...
, Nielsen's son-in-law, in 1911. Unusually, the concerto has two movements, both opening with a slower prelude.
Background
The ''Concerto for Violin and Orchestra'', Opus 33, was not an easy assignment for Nielsen. He began writing it in the summer of 1911 in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
, Norway, where he was spending some time at the invitation of
Nina Grieg
Nina Grieg, née Hagerup (24 November 1845 – 9 December 1935) was a Danish–Norwegian lyric soprano.
Early life and family
Nina Hagerup was born in Bergen, Norway. She was the first cousin of composer Edvard Grieg, whom she married.
Car ...
. It progressed with some difficulty as Nielsen, now back in his native
Denmark
)
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, song_type = National and royal anthem
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...
, commented that the concerto "has to be good music, and yet always make allowances for the activity of the solo instrument in the best light, that is rich in content, popular and dazzling without becoming superficial." In fact, he did not complete it until mid-December.
Reception
The first performance followed on 28 February 1912, the same night as the first performance of
Nielsen's 3rd Symphony. Carl Nielsen himself conducted the
Royal Danish Orchestra
The Royal Danish Orchestra (''Det Kongelige Kapel'') is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The Danish name for the orchestra indicates its original function as an ensemble geared to supplying the music for court events. The Royal Danish Orch ...
at the
Odd Fellows Mansion in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
with
Peder Møller, Nielsen's preferred virtuoso, as soloist. Nielsen spoke of the "great enthusiasm" with which the concerto was received but in fact the press commented above all on the masterly performance of Møller. Robert Henriques, in his extremely positive review, noted: “The Violin Concerto is a very significant work which will gain every time it is heard, because of course one only gradually becomes aware of all the brilliant details." He saw the concert, which had also included Nielsen's third symphony, as a demonstration of the composer's "rare talent," commenting that he was "on the true road towards the great goals he has set himself." It became something of a landmark for Nielsen who wrote of his overwhelming "Erfolg" (success). The concerto continued to be received with enthusiasm as it was performed on several occasions over the following years, not only in Denmark but also in
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
and
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, always with Møller as soloist.
[Elly Bruunshuus Petersen, "Carl Nielsen: Concertos,]
Carl Nielsen Edition
, ''Royal Danish Library''. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
Music
Unlike Nielsen's later works, the concerto has a distinct, melody-oriented Neo-Classical structure. Unusually, there are two movements. The calm "Praeludium" is followed by a catching tune for the orchestra providing opportunities for tricks by the violin. The long, slow Adagio leads to the final Scherzo which, as Nielsen commented, "renounces everything that might dazzle or impress."
''Classical Archives''. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
References
{{Authority control
Nielsen
Compositions by Carl Nielsen
1911 compositions