Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor: Rich and Seductive

In the pantheon of composers, German Romanticist Max Bruch may not be a household name. But Bruch contributed several enduring works, including the spirited Scottish Fantasy for violin and orchestra, the Kol Nidrei for cello and orchestra, and the Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26. The Violin Concerto is firmly rooted as a standard work in the violin repertoire, and has been ranked by audiences among the most beloved violin concertos of all time.

First sketched in 1857 and completed in 1866, the G minor Violin Concerto was championed by the Hungarian violinist, Joseph Joachim (1831-1907), who promoted the concertos of Beethoven, Brahms, and Mendelssohn. Joachim considered Bruch’s Concerto to be “the richest, the most seductive” of all.

The first movement Vorspiel: Allegro moderato (Prelude) gives us a sense of a gradual awakening. A hushed timpani roll and a solemn woodwind chorale serve as a musical call to order. The solo violin enters alone with a cadenza which rises from the lowest string (G) to the highest register. Soon, we are swept into the exhilarating, dance-like first theme. The melody is adorned with virtuosic flourishes which give the music an improvisatory quality. The passionate, expansive second theme builds to a soaring climax in the highest reaches of the violin’s E string. As the movement builds in intensity, an orchestral tutti section erupts in which the violin section takes up the fast, running notes that we might expect in the solo part. The orchestration is dark, well-proportioned, and classical, in the vein of Brahms.

The first movement fades away, resting on a single B-flat, and, without pause, we find ourselves in the serene, magical world of the second movement. At first tender and introspective, the solo violin rises to heroic heights. A sunny musical “proclamation” arrives with the grandeur of a mountaintop view.

The final movement (Finale: Allegro energico) is an exhilarating Gypsy-infused Hungarian dance. The violin introduces the spirited main theme, with thirds in double stops (two strings played simultaneously). The coda section brings a thrilling accelerando, and the final cadence arrives in a blazing, fun-loving flash.

This recording form May of 1962 features Jascha Heifetz with Sir Malcolm Sargent and the New Symphony Orchestra of London:

This 1984 recording features Itzhak Perlman with Bernard Haitink and the Concertgebouw Orchestra:

Five Great Recordings

• Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, Jascha Heifetz, Sir Malcolm Sargent, New Symphony Orchestra of London Amazon
• Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, Itzhak Perlman, Bernard Haitink, Concertgebouw Orchestra Amazon
• Kyung-Wha Chung with Klaus Tennstedt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Nicola Benedetti with Jakub Hrusa and the Czech Philharmonic
• Arthur Grumiaux with Heinz Wallberg and the New Philharmonia Orchestra