BARBER Violin Concerto | Igor Yuzefovich, violin

The Violin Concerto, Op. 14 was Barber’s first major commission. Samuel Fels, a wealthy American soap manufacturer and a member of Curtis’ board of trustees, wanted a violin concerto to be premiered by Iso Briselli, a child prodigy and his adopted son. Barber was granted the commission and began work on the Concerto in the summer of 1939 in Switzerland. With the impending invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Barber left Europe, continuing to work on the Concerto on the return voyage to the US and finishing it there. There are conflicting accounts as to Briselli’s reaction to the Concerto. Decades later he refuted the claims that he had dismissed the first two movements as being “too simple and not brilliant enough of a concerto”, and the third as too difficult to play. Nonetheless, the future of the Concerto and Barber’s commission were in jeopardy. A hastily arranged performance at Curtis proved successful. (A student violinist was given two hours to learn the part.)

In the end, Barber was paid the commission, but Briselli did not premiere the work. The Violin Concerto was first performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy conducting and Albert Spalding as the soloist on 7 February 1941.

Barber scored the Concerto for two flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, snare drum, piano, and strings, in addition to the solo violin. There is no question that there is a stylistic divide between the lyrical first two movements and the third. Barber himself acknowledged as much in the programme notes that he wrote
for its premiere:

“The first movement – allegro molto moderato – begins with a lyrical first subject announced at once by the solo violin, without any orchestra introduction. This movement as a whole has perhaps more than the character of a sonata than concerto form. The second movement – andante sostenuto – is introduced by an extended oboe solo. The violin enters with a contrasting and rhapsodic theme, after which it repeats the oboe melody of the beginning. The last movement, a perpetual motion, exploits the more brilliant and virtuoso characteristics of the violin.”

Reviewing the New York City performance a few days later, Thompson wrote that the concerto “cannot fail to charm by its gracious lyrical plentitude and its complete absence of tawdry swank … the only reason Barber gets away with elementary musical methods is that his heart is pure.” Another critic noted Barber’s conservative style with the observation that there is “no violent wrench
of mood between Barber’s concerto and Mozart’s”.

Barber’s Violin Concerto took time to be established in the repertoire, but by the 1990s leading violinists were performing and recording it. Briselli played it privately for himself and friends. It now ranks with the Adagio for Strings as one of Barber’s most frequently performed works. (Notes: Rick Perdian)

SAMUEL BARBER Violin Concerto, Op. 14
0:00 Allegro
11:24 Andante
20:26 Presto in moto perpetuo

Igor Yuzefovich, violin
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Lan Shui, Music Director

Recorded live at the Victoria Concert Hall, 9 April 2016