Violin Concerto (Adams)

Template:About Template:Infobox musical composition The Violin Concerto by the American composer John Adams was written in 1993. Its premiere was on January 19, 1994, by Jorja Fleezanis with the Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Edo de Waart, at the Ordway Music Theater, Saint Paul, Minnesota.<ref name="Grawemeyer">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="BH">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The piece was co-commissioned by the New York City Ballet, leading to a strong sense of rhythm throughout the entire work. For it, Adams received the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.<ref name="Grawemeyer" />

A typical performance lasts around 35 minutes.<ref name="AtP-VC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Violin Concerto has been described as "the most original approach to the genre since the Alban Berg Concerto".<ref>Christopher Latham, review of recording by Chloë Hanslip, Limelight, January 2007, p. 47</ref>

Structure

The work is in three movements:

It is dedicated to the memory of David Huntley of Boosey & Hawkes.<ref name="AtP-VC" />

Instrumentation

The work calls for solo violin accompanied by an orchestra with the following instrumentation.

Woodwinds

2 flutes (both doubling piccolos)

2 oboes (2nd doubling cor anglais)

2 clarinets (2nd doubling bass clarinet)

2 bassoons

Brass

2 horns in F

trumpet in C

Percussion

2 players, doubling on

timpani

guiro

3 bongo drums

2 conga drums

bass drum

suspended cymbal

tambourine

claves

high cowbell

vibraphone

marimba

tubular bells

Keyboards

2 synthesizers<ref>Technical requirements for the synthesizers available here</ref>

Strings

violin I (minimum 6)

violin II (minimum 6)

violas (minimum 5)

cellos (minimum 5)

double basses (minimum 2)

Recordings

The first recording was with the London Symphony Orchestra, featuring soloist Gidon Kremer,<ref name="AtP-VC" /> and conducted by Kent Nagano, released as Nonesuch 79360–2.<ref name="Schwartz">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2017 Orchid Classics released a recording (coupled with the Korngold violin concerto), with soloist Ilya Gringolts and the Copenhagen Philharmonic conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali, reference ORC100066.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

• John Adams on his Violin Concerto Interview from Perspectives of New Music
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• Violin Concerto Tech Specs by Mark Grey, sound designer for John Adams