Johannes Brahms composed his violin concerto for his friend, Joseph Joachim 25 years after their first meeting, and Brahms worked closely with him in creating the solo part; he clearly intended the Concerto to be a test of the player’s technique and musicianship and to be free of any suspicion of mere display.
The earliest critics were in some doubt, although the violin writing now strikes us as a model of good taste and sensitive musicianship. Others, such as the great Spanish virtuoso Sarasate, felt it had no tunes. “Would I stand there,” he said, “violin in hand, while the oboe plays the only melody in the whole work?”
The Concerto was first performed in Leipzig on New Year’s Day 1879 by Joachim, who composed the cadenza that is still played by many violinists today.
Listen now to the wonderful performance of this work by Yehudi Menuhin:
