Violin Concerto No. 5 (Vieuxtemps)

The Violin Concerto No. 5 in A minor, Op. 37, by Henri Vieuxtemps was published in 1861 and composed 1858–1859.[1][2] Leopold Auer (1925, p. 75) writes that the concerto had been "practically forgotten" but if played as its composer intended, "will not fail to impress the majority of its auditors". The second movement borrows from "Où peut-on être mieux qu'au sein de sa famille?" in Grétry's opera Lucile. It is now a well known Violin Concerto in the repertoire and is played often in competitions and concerts.

Structure

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The work consists of three movements played without breaks:

  1. Allegro non troppo
     
  2. Adagio
     
  3. Allegro con fuoco

A full performance of the piece usually lasts from 18 to 20 minutes.

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Ginsburg 1984, p. 85
  2. ^ See The Concerto was at the request of Hubert Léonard as a competition test piece for the Brussels Conservatory. Hofmeisters Monatsberichte (January 1862- implying most likely an 1861 publication date for receipt by Hofmeister's magazine in early 1862.) RISM also confirms this earlier date - they give 1858–1860 - according to a description of the autograph, held at Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Bruxelles - see RISM 700011104.

Sources

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  • Auer, Leopold (1925), Violin Master Works and Their Interpretation, Carl Fischer, New York, repr. Dover, 2012
  • Ginsburg, Lev Solomovich (1984). Henri Vieuxtemps. Neptune City, N.J.: Paganiniana Publication.
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