Johannes Brahms composed his Violin Concerto for his friend and renowned violinist, Joseph Joachim. Many critics at the time claimed the music Brahms had written was too difficult as it included rapid broken chords, scales and double stopps. Yet Brahms knew that Joachim was capable of playing it because the composer consulted with Joachim during the composition process.
It was intended that a concerto would give the soloist a chance to shine as a virtuoso. This concerto features a cadenza at the end of the first movement, however, Brahms was one of the last composers to permit the soloist to improvise or create their own.
Soloists started to create cadenzas that were too long and this led composers to notate their own cadenzas. This change allowed composers to have control over the musical material performed.
Here is one of the great performers of our own time to demonstrate the beauty and challenge of this music:
