Szymanowski, K.: Violin Concerto No. 1 / Dvorak, A.: Violin Concerto / Romance

Featuring

Marek Janowski
Arabella Steinbacher
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Karol Szymanowski
Antonín Dvořák

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Composer Biography

Karol Szymanowski, born in Ukraine to prosperous parents, was influenced by late-Romantic German composers and later by impressionist Ravel, as well as ancient Mediterranean cultures and oriental mystique.

Performer Biography

Violinist Arabella Steinbacher plays the 'Booth' Stradivarius from 1716, which is loaned to her by the Nippon Music Foundation.

Recording & Production

This album is a co-production between Deutschlandradio Kultur, Rundfunk-Orchester und Chöre GmbH Berlin, and PentaTone Music.

Composition History

Dvořák revised his Violin Concerto multiple times based on feedback from violinist Joseph Joachim, even stating, "I have revised the entire concerto, not a single bar have I retained" after one revision.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Szymanowski's Violin Concerto No. 1, inspired by Tadeusz Miciński's poem May Night, is a musical translation of poetic inspiration in the form of a free fantasy, not program music.

Composition History

Dvořák's Violin Concerto in A minor was composed after a request from his publisher Simrock for a "truly original one, full of melodies and written for good violinists."

Notable Performances

Despite Joseph Joachim's significant role in shaping Dvořák's Violin Concerto, he never performed the work in public; its premiere was given by František Ondříček in Prague.