Arnold Bax - Violin Concerto, etc.

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Arnold Bax - Violin Concerto, etc.

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By the time Bax began composing his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in 1937, he had written six symphonies and numerous works for combinations of solo instruments and orchestra, only two of which, the Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra and the Cello Concerto, are actual concertos. (The pieces for piano and orchestra are more akin to Bax's tone poems than to genuine concertos.) Bax began the concerto in June 1937, finishing the short score in October. The piece was completed in March 1938, first performed on November 22, 1943, in London, and published by Chappell in violin and piano format in 1946. The premiere was delayed for five years because Bax withheld the score. Bax's dedication to violinist Jascha Heifetz, who is rumored to have disliked the piece, appears only on the manuscript.
Bax's Violin Concerto is in the traditional three movements, but the first of these is itself in three parts, much like the finale of the Sixth Symphony. Those who heard the premiere were surprised at the work's light scoring, succinct organization and, for Bax, amiable atmosphere. Evidently, none of Bax's typical emotional conflicts make their way into the piece. It was popular for some time, which upset the composer, who felt his symphonies were much better compositions and more deserving of public praise. Bax compared the piece to works by the prolific crowd-pleaser Joachim Raff (1822 - 1882).
The concerto's first movement is in three parts, beginning with an Overture, marked Allegro risoluto, a "Ballad" section, and a closing scherzo, headed Allegro moderato. This division is more evident on paper, for in performance the movement sounds like it is in sonata form. The scherzo stands in place of the development section and consists of variants of the opening ideas, making it sound in fact like a development section, while some of its rhythms give it an Irish flavor. The Ballad, with its reference to Rimsky-Korsakov's Shéhérazade, provides contrast.
Bax opens the second movement with an allusion to Elgar's Violin Concerto, both in the shape of the melody and the orchestration, which calls for strummed strings. The secondary theme is Mozartian in style and is drawn from a pastiche sonata Bax completed in 1937 and credited to an "author unknown." The effect of Bax's blatant imitation of the Classical style imbued with Bax's own language is similar to what we hear in later concertos by Richard Strauss, who also sought Classical-era clarity late in life.
In another nod to tradition, Bax closes the concerto with a rondo. Its lively opening idea pales in comparison to the slow waltz episode, with both segments giving a glimpse of the earlier, more ebullient Bax. The opening idea alternates with another waltz section before a trumpet solo introduces the final statement of the main theme and a vigorous close.

John Palmer @ Allmusic