Jean Sibelius began work on his violin concerto in 1903, intending to offer the premiere to Wilhelm Burmester—a violin virtuoso was concertmaster of the Helsinki Philharmonic. But likely due to the cash-strapped composer’s need for immediate funds, Sibelius couldn’t wait for Burmester’s suggested premiere date in March 1904. Instead, Victor Nováček was the soloist with the Helsinki Philharmonic in the first performance of the work on February 8, 1904 (with the composer conducting).
Two more concerts followed on February 10 and 12.
Nováček, a violin professor in Helsinki, was either not prepared or skilled enough to fully realize this complex, virtuosic new work. Reviews of the concerto were mixed. One critic even found it “boring.” Dismayed, Sibelius then withdrew the score, and this “original” version was never performed again in his lifetime.
But the composer was determined to revise the concerto: in 1905 he made extensive changes to the work, especially the first and third movements. Violinist Karel Halíř performed the revised score on October 19, 1905, with Richard Strauss conducting the Berlin Orchestra.
Here is Hilary Hahn to play this concerto for you:
