Alexander Glazunov composed his Violin Concerto in A minor, Opus 82, in 1904–5 when he was at the height of his fame in Russia, partly in St Petersburg and partly at his summer home in Oserki where the pastoral setting lent something to the concerto’s lyrical mood.
It was premiered on 15 February 1905 in St. Petersburg at a concert of the Russian Music Society, conducted by the composer, with the great violinist Leopold Auer as the soloist. It was Auer’s fourteen-year-old pupil Mischa Elman who gave the first performances outside Russia in the same year, helping to build the work’s international reputation.
It is certainly the case that Glazunov wrote his own brilliantly effective cadenza for the concerto and there is no question that this is a superbly imagined work with the solo part beautifully integrated into the overall design.
Here is violinist Nicola Benedetti to play this lovely concerto for you:
