Janis Ivanovs: Violin concerto in E minor (1951)
Janis Ivanovs
born 9 October 1906 in Babri, Preiļi
died 27 March 1983 in Riga
First performance
30.09.1951 by Brahmanis, the Latvian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Jansons.
Recordings:
Juris Svolkovskis 1967 on Melodiya
Valdis Zarins 1976 on CD
Janis Ivanov's Violin Concerto is a piece of timeless music whose memorable main theme, once heard, will be heard again and again. Janis Ivanovs wrote only one violin concerto, and that in
the early lyrical phase of his composition. Ivanovs, who was born in 1906 in Lategale, a multicultural region of Latvia, became better known as a symphonist. There are 21 symphonies that reflect
his entire compositional development, from a late Romantic to a socially realistic to a very individual personal style. With the 20th symphony, he composed his own individual requiem, the 21st
symphony remained unfinished. Unfortunately, his symphonies are only appreciated and performed in Latvia; musical Europe has hardly discovered this great symphonist.
The Violin Concerto, written in 1951 while Stalin was still in power, seeks to avoid the reproach of formalism that Ivanovs received from the Soviet Composers' Union for his 5th Symphony. To
this end, he concentrates on catchy themes and uses the traditional concerto form, but employs Latvian folk songs. This gives the whole concerto an optimistic basic attitude and is at the same
time a song of praise to his homeland Lategale. He thus sets himself apart from a uniform ideology of proletarian social realism and subversively celebrates Latvian folk culture with song
melodies and with native folk dances.
This violin concerto can also radiate joie de vivre and fascination in other contexts. Unfortunately, it is not played in our country, as if forgotten in the dark times of the Iron
Curtain.
Listen here!
Listening companion:
I. Andante - Allegro
A curtain of sound opens in sombre sounds, which is intended to push the prevailing dark times to one side, as it were. Suddenly, a catchy, meandering, buoyant main theme resounds in the strings,
as if from happy times. The second part of the theme is a kind of echo in the winds. Then the first part of the theme reasserts itself, but now as a kind of motto for the whole concerto.
Then the violin also emerges from behind the curtain in double stops, immediately takes over the swinging, memorable main theme and leads it in wild figurations to virtuoso brilliance. The
orchestra also plays imaginatively with this central theme.
The solo violin then introduces the second theme vocally, singing its beautiful song until the theme is slowly lost in the interplay of orchestra and solo.
In a kind of development, the main theme reappears, becoming more and more a delightfully catchy tune, and is also recognisable again and again in all the varied and imaginative variations of
this original development.
In the recapitulation, the solo violin brings the main theme in its original form, then improvises freely until the orchestra takes over the theme in a big way and the violin invites the cadenza.
The cadenza also stems from the main theme.
Then the violin, animated by the orchestra, plunges into a wild coda. Once again, the second gentle and vocal theme makes itself heard. Introduced by horns and basses, the violin finally throws
itself into the effective final swing, which then culminates in the repeated sounding of the main theme.
II. Andante
The second movement begins with a singing theme full of poetry in the orchestra. The violin takes over the peaceful singing and continues the theme. The leitmotif of the first movement flashes up
briefly, as if welcoming this chant, which probably also stems from the spirit of Latvian culture. In any case, the violin reacts with virtuoso capers, as if it were having fun. This slowly
develops into a cheerful waltz, which leads back to the repetition of the vocal theme.
Then a sudden halt: the violin launches into a rustic polka, lustily accelerating its tempo in a folkloristic manner, as if a folk festival were in order. A few cautionary sounds - for we are
still in a slow second movement and in a censoring musical culture - lead back to the opening chant in the orchestra and the violin solo. Once again, the leitmotif of the first movement
sets the scene, with slightly dark shadows, but the violin soars to stratospheric heights.
III. Allegro molto
The orchestra begins with a wild dance, the violin jumps into it and drives the desire to dance further, accelerates and turns. The wild movements of the dance are repeated again and again, until
the violin then recognisably also integrates the concerto's leitmotif into this whirl of the dance and the orchestra leads the dance to a first conclusion.
A lyrical violin song begins on the G string, which is then immediately incorporated into the dance movement. And once again the violin insists with its G-string lyricism. Then, however, the
dance returns magnificently, violin and orchestra alternate in the lead until the leading theme once again announces itself in the violin. Another somewhat dull melody is heard, which is also
immediately taken up in the dance. Then, once again, space for the violin's cadenza, inspired by the central theme of the entire concerto. Soon everything leads to the wild final dance, but it
too is overarched by the once again prominent leitmotif, so that it may remain present in the ears of the people and in us listeners beyond the concert, as was desired by the official side at the
time.