Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 & Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 "Regen"

Featuring

James Gaffigan
Vadim Gluzman
Angela Yoffe
Luzerner Sinfonieorchester
Johannes Brahms

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Recording & Production

This BIS Hybrid SACD recording offers playback in Stereo (CD and SACD) and 5.0 Surround sound (SACD), aiming to reproduce the natural sound of a concert venue.

Composer Biography

Johannes Brahms composed the Violin Concerto and Violin Sonata No. 1 during summer stays in Pörtschach on the Wörthersee, a place he described as abundant with melodies.

Composition History

Brahms's Violin Sonata No. 1, nicknamed 'Regenlied Sonata,' alludes to his song 'Regenlied' (Rain Song), which he had given to Clara Schumann after her son Felix, Brahms's godson, was diagnosed with incurable tuberculosis.

Composition History

Brahms dedicated his Violin Concerto to Joseph Joachim, the most famous violinist of his time, who advised Brahms on playing technique and composed the cadenza still used today.

Critical Reception

The Violin Concerto received a 'frosty reception' at its 1879 Leipzig premiere, though it later gained enthusiasm in London and was eventually recognized alongside concertos by Beethoven and Mendelssohn.

Compositional Technique

The Violin Concerto demonstrates Brahms's symphonic reinterpretation of the solo concerto genre, integrating the highly virtuosic solo part into the orchestral writing.

Performer Biography

Vadim Gluzman plays the 1690 'ex-Leopold Auer' Stradivari violin, which is on extended loan to him through the generosity of the Stradivari Society of Chicago.