Chicago Classical Music

This month, Cedille Records released what from a musicological perspective is probably the most significant recording we have ever released. Beethoven & Clement Violin Concertos features the world premiere of the 1805 Violin Concerto in D major by Franz Clement, the violinist-composer for whom Beethoven wrote his revered Violin Concerto the next year. Listening to the two concertos side by side, it becomes clear that the Beethoven is not the isolated phenomenon it has always been considered, but was in fact significantly influenced by Clement's concerto (which was premiered on the same 1805 concert as Beethoven's Eroica Symphony).

To introduce this historic recording, I am reprinting violinist Rachel Barton Pine's personal note from the CD booklet. Before I do, I want to let everyone know that Cedille Records is hosting a Release Party to celebrate this important recording, including a live performance by Rachel Barton Pine, on Sunday, October 5, from 3:00 to 4:30 PM at the Union Restaurant in Evanston, 1245 Chicago Avenue (just South of Dempster). the event is free but space is limited, so if you'd like to come, please RSVP to nancy@cedillerecords.org or call 773-989-2515. Please do so by the end of this week to guarantee your spot.

Now here's Rachel Barton Pine on this very special recording project:

When I was a little girl, my mom often let me stay up late to watch classical music performances on PBS. I vividly remember the night I saw Itzhak Perlman perform the Beethoven Violin Concerto. I was six years old and had just learned the Haydn Concerto in G Major. My introduction to its “big sibling” was a revelation; I instinctively sensed that the Beethoven was the pinnacle of violin concertos.

Stylistically, Beethoven’s concerto seems to stand alone among the great works for violin and orchestra. The few other concertos from that time that are occasionally played, most notably those of Paganini, Spohr, and Rode, bear it little resemblance. I take a Classical period approach to the Beethoven, which accentuates its differences from the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. The Franz Clement Violin Concerto in D Major turned out to be the perfect pairing, setting Beethoven’s masterpiece in an entirely new context.

In spring 2006, I received a call from the owner of my favorite sheet music store, Performer’s Music. Knowing of my fascination with lesser-known historic repertoire, he asked if I would be interested in the newly published first modern edition of Clement’s Violin Concerto in D Major. He read me a short essay about the piece and I placed my order immediately. When the score arrived, it only took one glance to know that I had found something special. It is an excellent composition, but what really startled me were the aesthetic similarities to Beethoven’s masterpiece.

The Clement Concerto has not been publicly performed in approximately 200 years. There are no surviving cadenzas, so I composed my own for this recording. For the Beethoven, I chose to record the cadenzas I wrote in 2001. Most cadenzas to the first movement of the Beethoven begin with a variation on the solo violin’s first entrance. However, Beethoven began his cadenza to his piano transcription of the violin concerto with the bold motif in the orchestra that follows the conclusions of the exposition and recapitulation. I chose to start my cadenza with this same motif, employing my own choice of harmonies. The four repeated notes that feature so prominently in the first movement appear many times in my cadenza. Notably, in the final climax, I reiterate them one last time, halving the speed for extra emphasis. They even make a brief appearance at the end of my cadenza to the last movement.

I am very grateful to Maestro José Serebrier for learning the Clement and for preparing both works so meticulously. I would also like to thank the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for playing with such commitment and enthusiasm. It was a rewarding collaboration and I look forward to working with these fine musicians again. Finally, many thanks to Clive Brown for reviving Clement’s life story and concerto.

I am very pleased to share with you my interpretation of the Beethoven Violin Concerto and I hope that you will be intrigued and moved by its worthy predecessor.

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