Bronner, A. Tchaikovsky, Vasks / Ambartsumian, et al

VIOLIN CONCERTOS: M. Bronner, A. Tchaikovsky, P. Vasks

MIKHAIL BRONNER'S Concerto, as is characteristic of the composer, is fashioned in a single movement. The structure of the concerto combines features of sonata form (a clear tonal plan and development sections) with those of a rondo (a series of returning episodes). In this work the solo violin does not compete with the orchestra; instead it carries on a dialog in which the composer attempts to find answers to deep moral questions. The main inspiration for ALEXANDER TCHAIKOVSKY'S "Distant Dreams" is the irrevocable passing of childhood, the putative happiest time in the life of a human being. An important influence of the composer during the writing of this concerto was Nikita Mikhalkov’s film "Several Days from the Life of Oblomov," which is based on the novel by Ivan Turgenev. This concerto received its premiere in Moscow in 1990 by the ARCO Chamber Orchestra with Levon Ambartsumian, violin, and Guennadi Freidine, viola, as soloists. MUSICA DOLOROSA by Peteris ! Vasks, was completed in 1983, shortly before the death of the composer’s sister, to whose memory this work is dedicated. The work has become Vasks’ most known and frequently performed composition to date. The composer called this composition "my most tragic opus where there is no optimism, no hope – only pain". The work starts with mournful melodic lines, plucked notes in the low strings resembling heartbeats. The music gradually grows in its intensity reaching an astonishing climax, chaotic and dissonant. Perhaps the strongest musical gesture is introduced in the last section of the piece: a wailing cello solo, full of personal lament.