Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 (Original and Final Versions)

Featuring

Osmo Vänskä
Leonidas Kavakos
Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Jean Sibelius

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Notable Performances

The original version of Sibelius's Violin Concerto was premiered in Finland in February 1904 by Viktor Nováček, a violin teacher at the Helsinki Musical Academy, under Sibelius's own direction.

Performer Biography

Leonidas Kavakos, the violinist on this recording, won the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in Helsinki at the age of 18 in 1985.

Critical Reception

The premiere of the original Violin Concerto received harsh criticism, with one critic, Karl Flodin, bluntly stating that the playing offered "a mass of joyless things" and that it was impossible to fathom the composer's meaning due to the cacophony.

Composition History

Sibelius first mentioned his Violin Concerto in a letter to his wife Aino in September 1902, and worked on it sporadically throughout 1903.

Composition History

Sibelius decided to revise the concerto after its initial performances and critical reception, stating in June 1904 that he would withdraw it and that the first movement was "to be formed completely anew."

Compositional Technique

The revised version of Sibelius's Violin Concerto significantly reduced the virtuoso elements in the solo part, including the complete removal of a Bach-like solo cadenza in the first movement.

Composition History

Sibelius initially intended to dedicate the Violin Concerto to Willy Burmester, a renowned violin virtuoso, who was also expected to give its first performance.