The French violinist and composer Pierre Rode (1774-1830) was the dedicatee of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 96, and what a joy it would have been to hear him play it. His 13 violin concertos were written for his own use, but it would be wrong to call them show pieces: they're never oriented toward empty virtuosity. The pair here are representative. You could sample the Air varié, Op. 12, which subverts expectations by not going from simplest to most difficult; the structure of the work, spilling over ...
Read More
The French violinist and composer Pierre Rode (1774-1830) was the dedicatee of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 96, and what a joy it would have been to hear him play it. His 13 violin concertos were written for his own use, but it would be wrong to call them show pieces: they're never oriented toward empty virtuosity. The pair here are representative. You could sample the Air varié, Op. 12, which subverts expectations by not going from simplest to most difficult; the structure of the work, spilling over variation lines, determines the virtuosity level. The Violin Concerto No. 12 in E major, Op. 27 is filled with long, lyrical lines, fluidly ornamented but rarely festooned with double stops and other tricks of the violinist's trade. The Violin Concerto No. 11 in D major, Op. 23, is more virtuosic; opening with a rather plain double-orchestral exposition, the music proceeds into a violin part that strives to exceed the orchestra music's dimensions. It's a novel and effective structure,...
Read Less
![Rode: Violin Concertos Nos. 11 and 12 [Friedemann Eichhorn; Jena Philharmonic Orchestra; Nicolás Pasquet; Nicolás Pasquet] [Naxos: 8573474]](https://www4.alibris-static.com/cover/o43549nukr2_t.jpg)
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.