Dvořák's Violin Concerto was requested by both his publisher Fritz Simrock and the violinist Karel Halíř in January 1879.
Cultural Impact
The second movement of Dvořák's Sonatina, the 'Indian Canzonetta,' was inspired by the Minnehaha Falls in Minnesota and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem 'The Song of Hiawatha.'
Performer Biography
Thomas Albertus Irnberger, the violinist on this album, began violin at age seven and piano at age eight, and was accepted into the Salzburg Mozarteum's highly gifted class at nine.
Compositional Technique
The final movement of Dvořák's Violin Concerto is a homage to Czech national music, featuring a 'Furiant' (a fast Czech dance) and a 'Dumka' (a lyrical, epic folk ballad from Ukraine).
Composer's Artistic Vision
Dvořák's Sonatina in G major for Violin and Piano, Op. 100, composed in New York, was influenced by the music of the 'New World,' incorporating pentatonic scales, small sevenths, and syncopated rhythms.
Notable Performances
Despite his involvement in its revision, Joseph Joachim never publicly performed Dvořák's Violin Concerto; its premiere was given by young Czech violinist František Ondricek in Prague in 1883.
Composition History
Joseph Joachim, a leading violin authority, requested Dvořák to profoundly revise his Violin Concerto, leading Dvořák to rewrite almost the entire work.
