Violin Concerto No. 3 (Saint-Saëns)

The Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61, by Camille Saint-Saëns is a piece for violin and orchestra written in March 1880. Saint-Saëns dedicated the concerto to fellow composer-virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, who performed the solo part at the premiere in October 1880 in Hamburg.[1]

Violin Concerto
by Camille Saint-Saëns
KeyB minor
CatalogueOp. 61
PeriodRomantic
GenreConcerto
Composed1880 (1880)
Movements3
ScoringViolin & Orchestra
Premiere
DateOctober 15, 1880 (1880-10-15)
LocationHamburg
ConductorAdolf Georg Beer
PerformersPablo de Sarasate, Philharmonisches Orchester Hamburg

Even though the third violin concerto seems to impose fewer technical demands on the soloist than its predecessors, its melodic invention and impressionistic subtlety present significant interpretive challenges. This stress is most notable in the second movement and the chorale of the finale, which is reminiscent of the conclusion of the Fourth Piano Concerto.[2] Possibly because of this, the Sarasate concerto along with the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28, and the Havanaise, Op. 83 have endured as the major concertante works for violin by Saint-Saëns still heard regularly today.[3]

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo violin, 2 flutes/piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani and strings.

Structure

The work is in three movements:

  1. Allegro non troppo
  2. Andantino quasi allegretto
  3. Molto moderato e maestoso – Allegro non troppo

A performance of the whole piece takes around 28 minutes.

References
  1. Ratner, Sabina Teller (2002). Camille Saint-Saëns, 1835–1922: A Thematic Catalogue of his Complete Works, Volume 1: The Instrumental Works. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 374–378. ISBN 978-0-19-816320-6.
  2. Fallon, Daniel M.; Harding, James; Ratner, Sabina Teller (2001). "Saint-Saëns, (Charles) Camille". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  3. Vachon, Jean-Pascal. Liner notes to Tapiola Sinfonietta recording. (BIS-CD-1470)
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