Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Lee Actor
About this work:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra was commissioned by the Mission Chamber Orchestra in honor of their 10th anniversary season, and was written between July and November 2005. The concerto is dedicated to violinist Pip Clarke.
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra is an extended work consisting of three movements, totaling approximately 31 minutes in duration. It is scored for an orchestra of modest dimensions: double woodwinds, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, 1 percussionist, and strings. It is written for internationally renowned violinist Pip Clarke, whose superlative technical skills and intensely romantic sound are an ideal fit for my compositional aesthetic. My aim was to write a serious piece of substance and weight, in a bravura style that would showcase Ms. Clarke’s talents. The result is music that is highly dramatic, expressive, and passionate, while also embracing the lyrical element. The soloist is placed front and center as the main protagonist in this musical drama, a “soloist vs. orchestra” aesthetic similar to that of the 19th century romantic concertos, but in a fresh, contemporary style.
Much of the emotional “weight” of the concerto is centered in the first movement, titled Proclamation, which makes up about half the total duration of the piece. After a short orchestral introduction, which includes all the musical building blocks from which the entire movement is constructed, the soloist enters with a cadenza-like passage in dramatic opposition to the orchestra. This leads to a climax based on the initial musical motif, and is followed by a passage featuring a passionate and lyrical theme. The middle section of the movement develops the previous ideas, at one point transforming itself somewhat surprisingly (though naturally) into a waltz. This eventually leads to the triumphal return of the opening ideas, restated in a somewhat modified form. Following an extensive through-composed cadenza for the soloist, a short coda brings the movement to an end.
The second movement, Meditation, is based on a gentle, lyrical melody that starts very simply and becomes increasingly embellished by the soloist. The middle section of the movement is a little brisker in tempo, and is centered around a second theme that is derived from an elaboration of the first melody. The first theme returns in the third section, now subtly intertwined with the second theme. This is followed by an ethereal version of the original melody played by the soloist in artificial harmonics, accompanied by the pizzicato strings playing as softly as possible. The movement ends as it began, with an unaccompanied solo horn.
The gloves are off in the third and final movement, Exhilaration, which is full of energy, high spirits, and playful humor. It opens with a three-chord “motto”, which recurs throughout the movement. The main theme, heard mostly in the solo violin, also recurs several times, interspersed with related episodes of various flavors, giving the movement a formal structure not unlike that of the classical rondo. From the solo violinist’s perspective, whose rapid running 16th notes seem in opposition harmonically to the pervasive pizzicato accompaniment in the strings, the movement is often reminiscent of a moto perpetuo. High jinks abound in this finale, including “wrong” notes, odd juxtapositions and interruptions, and a passage near the end where the soloist seems to briefly get “lost”. It all works out in the end, bringing the concerto to a rousing conclusion.
Year composed: 2005
Duration: 00:31:00
Ensemble type: Orchestra:Orchestra with Soloist(s)
Instrumentation: 2 Flute, 2 Oboe, 2 Clarinet, 2 Bassoon, 2 Horn in F, 2 Trumpet, 1 Timpani, 1 Percussion (General), 1 Strings (General), ,1 Violin soloist(s)