Concert Critique of Mendelssohn\'s Violin

Concert Critique of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto -- Details

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto took place on the 22nd and 23rd of September, 2011 at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The conductor of the orchestra was Jaap van Zweden while the performer is one of the top violinists in the world, Simone Lamsma. The three pieces that were played include Mendelssohn String Symphony No.10, Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and Mendelssohn Symphony No.1.

To say a little about the violinist, Lamsam is a Dutch-born performer who has performed all over the world. She started playing at the age of five and studied at the Royal Academic of Music in the UK. She plays the Cremona 1718 violin (Dallas Symphony Orchestra, 2011).

Jaap van Zweden was born in Amsterdam and started his musical career as a violinist. At the age of 19, he became the youngest concert master at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Since then, he has been conducting orchestras at various places around the world.

Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn is a German composer and pianist and is regarded as one of the most talented composers of the 19th century. Born in Hamburg in 1809, Mendelssohn was a prodigy who was good at the piano, violin and painting. He was born in a well-to-do family and had many cultural advantages. Along with his sister Fanny, he went to Paris to study the compositions of Mozart and Bach. This inspired him to create eleven symphonies, five operas and countless pieces for the violin. Most of his compositions were written between 1820 to his death in 1847. Some of his well-known work include Violin Concerto for Piano and Violin in D Minor, Die Wandernden Komodianten, Violin Sonata in F minor, A Midsummer night's dream Overture, Opus 21, Rondo Capriccioso in E Major and Salve Regina in Eb S (Felix Mendelssohn, 2002).

Overview of the music

The three pieces performed in this orchestra are Mendelssohn String Symphony No.10, Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and Mendelssohn Symphony No.1.

Mendelssohn String Symphony No.10

Mendelssohn String Symphony No.10 is a romantic piece composed by Mendelssohn in 1823. It is in B Minor and the average duration of the piece is about ten minutes. This piece begins with a short Adagio and then it is followed by the Allegro. The Adagio is something that is commonly seen in most of Mendelssohn's earlier compositions and it was inspired by Mozart. The Adagio is slow and grim while the Allegra is faster and lilting. The end of this piece requires a long and breathless stretch by the artists and it breaks off gently at the end.

Violin Concerto

The Violin Concerto was one of the last works of Mendelssohn and this was composed in E Minor. It is also hugely popular and is performed by artists all over the world. Published in 1845, this piece was written for a solo violinist and the average performance time is about half hour. The piece begins with the Allegro molto appassionato that goes on for about thirteen minutes. It is in E minor and starts with rapid notes that slowly subside. This is followed by the cadenza that gains rapid notes and rhythms in E Major before ending in E minor again.

The second part of this piece is Andante that lasts for about nine minutes. The composition moves from E Minor to C Major. This is the melody part of the piece and is dark and grim in certain places. This pieces ends with a trembling effect that leads to a subdued and peaceful end.

The third and concluding part of the piece is the Allegro molto vivace that lasts for about seven minutes. This piece opens in B Major followed by fast ascending and descending notes that require precision by the artist. It then moves into G Major for some melody and some prolonged notes by the violinist. It finally ends with a frenetic coda (International Music Score Library Project, 2006).