The Violin Concerto was not widely appreciated until 1844, when Felix Mendelssohn conducted a critically acclaimed performance with child prodigy Joseph Joachim as soloist.
Historical Context
During Beethoven's time, Vienna lacked a public concert hall, so concerts took place in private homes, salons, garden parties, noble palaces, theaters, and restaurants, making the city's musical life dependent on noble patronage.
Instruments
Benjamin Schmid, the solo violinist on this recording, plays a 1718 Stradivari violin known as the 'ex Viotti-Rosé'.
Compositional Technique
Beethoven's Violin Concerto was significantly longer, written in a higher register, and technically more challenging than Franz Clement's Violin Concerto in D, which Beethoven likely used as a model.
Composer Biography
Beethoven was in an intensely creative period when he composed the Violin Concerto, having recently finished his Eroica Symphony and started his Fifth Symphony, but he was also dismayed by his progressive deafness.
Composition History
Beethoven's Violin Concerto was completed shortly before its premiere, leaving the soloist, Franz Clement, only two days to learn it.
Critical Reception
At its premiere, Beethoven's Violin Concerto received lukewarm reviews and fell out of favor, with one critic noting its 'continuity often seems to be completely disrupted'.
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