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Prokofiev Violin Concerto No 1
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13/10/2007
Programme note on Prokofiev Violin Concerto No 1
Prokofiev
Violin Concerto No 1 (1916 – 17)
Andantino
Vivacissimo – Scherzo
Moderato – Andante
Prokofiev categorised his compositional style into four head-lined areas:
Classical, Modern, Motorised and Lyrical. Unlike many composers, these characteristics were not matters of calendar congruence or "periods", but rather reflect four of the many diverse aspects of Prokofiev’s compositional art or craft that could be turned on and off at will.
Around the same time as Prokofiev was engaged in work upon his perennially popular Classical Symphony, the composer had been working on a concertino for violin of which the earliest sketches date from 1915. Eventually, that project was deferred – and ultimately abandoned – in favour of an opera to a text of Dostoyevsky entitled The Gambler. The Violin Concerto No 1 as we now have it began to (re?-) emerge during High Summer of 1917. One might think that the year of the great Russian Revolution might not be the most promising in terms of producing sustained effort on his compositions; yet, during that fateful year, Prokofiev’s record of achievement is, by any yardstick, remarkable. Beside the evergreen Classical Symphony, tonight’s concerto (not heard here at Leeds Town Hall for fifteen years), Piano Sonatas 3 and 4, a cantata and the Third Piano Concerto spring at once to mind; together with the celebrated Visions Fugitifs they comprise his work list for a great year.
The First Violin Concerto travelled in its composer’s portmanteau on his emigratory journey from Europe to the United States and the premiere took place in Paris at one of Serge Koussevitsky’s concerts at the Paris Opera with Marcel Darrieux as soloist.
The dream-like elements in the glorious first movement are brilliantly etched in the writing for the soloist, reflecting, perhaps, Prokofiev’s viewpoint on his own gift for lyricism:
For a long time I was given no credit for any lyric gift whatsoever ………for want of encouragement progressed slowly in this important area
The French audience at the first hearing, maybe expecting something more focussed and imbued with elements of a trail-blazing, contemporary style, were evidently not over-impressed. The performance direction for the first theme is Sognando [dreamily] and that for the second subject is Narrante. Prokofiev told the great David Oistrakh to play it as though you are trying to convince someone of something. Ultimately, this ingenious movement comes to a close with wistful, chamber music-like textures featuring the soloist, harp and, especially, flute.
Energy is the hallmark of the hugely contrasted second movement. Szigeti declared himself fascinated by its mixture of fairy-tale naïvité and daring savagery in layout and texture.
The opening motif of the final movement is announced by the bassoon at the outset, and in the final coda the flute again sustains a significant role. Despite the finale being very much a tour-de-force for soloist and orchestra alike, the work ultimately achieves a canny symmetry by the re-introduction of material from that with which the first movement had begun.
Author : Simon Lindley
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