Beethoven: Violin Concerto

Written at the same time as his Symphony No. 4, L. V. Beethoven’s Violin Concerto is one of the finest exponents of this genre and one of the composer’s masterpieces. It is a revolutionary work, filled with formal discoveries, far removed from classic concertos, with a surprising use of percussion and equal prominence given to the orchestra and violin. With its central larghetto, which ranks among some of the most admired passages in history, it marks a turning point in the composer’s work.

It is always interesting to find out the origins of pathways that have impacted on a certain period. This is the case of Olivier Messiaen’s L’Ascension, one of the great innovators in 20th century music. In these four symphonic meditations, with echoes of his early works for organ such as Le banquet céleste, the elements used to build them can be discerned, marked by the concept of spiritual contemplation. Messiaen eliminates the notion of the passage of time and, with it, our experience of time, displaying an admirable use of orchestral colour despite his youth.

Death and Transfiguration, which sparked off controversy on the concept of a poetic “programme” in music from the moment that it was premiered, has become one of Richard Strauss’ best-known works for orchestra and it is one of his most brilliant symphonic poems: an exhilarating journey from death to the sublime.