Édouard Lalo's Symphonie espagnole, a sinfonia concertante mixing elements of symphony and concerto, was written for the Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate.
Recording & Production
The Lalo recording on this album comes from a live concert given by Omer Meir Wellber with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in April 2015.
Composition History
Tchaikovsky began composing his Violin Concerto in March 1878, during a six-month escape from Russia after a personal disaster and mental breakdown caused by his marriage.
Performer Biography
Augustin Hadelich, a Grammy Award-winning violinist, plays on the 1723 'ex-Kiesewetter' Stradivari violin, which is on loan from Clement and Karen Arrison through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
Historical Context
Lalo's Symphonie espagnole premiered in Paris in February 1875, a month before Bizet's opera Carmen, at a time when 'Iberomania' and Orientalism were popular in 19th-century Western Europe.
Composition History
Tchaikovsky was inspired to write his Violin Concerto after playing chamber music with Josef Kotek, a violinist and former pupil from the Moscow Conservatory, who helped lift the composer's spirits.
Critical Reception
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto received a lukewarm reception at its first performance in Vienna, but its Russian premiere in Moscow nine months later secured its popularity.
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