Liya Petrova, the violinist on this recording, won First Prize at the 2016 Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition, where she was praised for her 'iron will' and 'command'.
Composition History
Sergei Prokofiev, a Russian composer, began his Violin Concerto No. 1 with a wistful melody conceived during a romance in a small Caucasus village in 1915.
Compositional Technique
Carl Nielsen's Violin Concerto has an unusual two-part structure, with each part containing a slow section followed by a fast one, unlike the traditional concerto form.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Joseph Szigeti, the violinist who popularized Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, was drawn to its 'mixture of fairy-tale naiveté and daring savagery'.
Recording & Production
The Odense Symphony Orchestra, one of Denmark's five regional orchestras, is the owner and host of the Carl Nielsen International Competition.
Critical Reception
At its 1923 premiere in Paris, Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 received a lukewarm reception, with critic George Auric dismissing it as 'old fashioned' and 'Mendelssohnian'.
Composer Biography
Carl Nielsen, a Danish composer, was a violinist who played in his father's travelling wedding band as a child and later in the Royal Danish Orchestra.
