Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77

Composer: Johannes Brahms

Date of publication: 1878

As a man of high ambitions, Brahms thought, "If you couldn't add to the legacy of German composers previous to you [Schutz, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven], why bother?" And so, when he set out to make a violin concerto, he took it very seriously, thoroughly going through every melody/measure. However, few violin concertos previously were performed often in concert halls, with only Mendelssohn's and Beethoven's concertos being commonly known. The lack of available violin concerto references was a problem for Brahms who had only studied piano - he didn't know what would produce pleasing sounds on the violin.

Brahms eventually reached out to one of his closest friends, Joseph Joachim, a Hungarian violinist, for help revising the concerto. During the revision process, Brahms and Joachim rarely communicated with one another in-person. They conferred over sporadic postcards and letters but somehow managed to agree on a final rendition within half a year.

The concerto’s movements are based on lyrical passages, modeled after pörtschach melodies. The first movement’s melody traverses hills and valleys in a gypsy-waltz style. The second movement introduces a melodic conversation between the oboe and violin. The third movement mimics a Gypsy dance with melodic interludes.

Despite all his effort, Brahms's concerto was not too well received at first. Critics were overwhelmed with the work - understandable, given Brahms' admission that "the place was overrun with melodies". Yet over the next century, it has become a staple of the violin repertoire as music tastes have evolved.

Fun fact: The premiere was on January 1st 1879, with Joseph Joachim as the soloist and Brahms as the conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig.

Movements:

1. Allegro

2. Adagio (F major)

3.Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace –Poco più presto