Violin Concerto No. 3 (Bruch)

Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 58, was composed in 1891.

The work takes approximately 35–40 minutes to perform. It was dedicated to his friend (and superior at the Berlin Academy of Music) the violinist/composer Joseph Joachim. It differs from its predecessors in its adherence to traditional classical structures, although its opening orchestral exposition presents only the elements of the first subject group.

The concerto has three movements:

1. Allegro energico
2. Adagio
3. Finale: Allegro molto

It has a conventional concerto/sonata first movement, Allegro energico, with an opening tutti followed by the solo entry and presentation of the themes of the first subject group. This consists of a vigorous and heroic idea followed by a more broad and dramatic theme in octaves, leading to a modulation to the relative major (F) and presentation of the themes of the second subject group. It is noteworthy that both first and second subjects contain two themes, the most important of which is the 'largamente' theme which constitutes the second part of the primary theme group, and which provides most of the motives worked out in the development. It is also of interest that the first theme of the second subject group is actually a transformation of the first theme of the primary group with all of the note values evened out into crotchets.

The second movement Adagio, in B-flat major, is in a sonatina form (sonata without development). It also has two closely related themes, the second of which is based on the complementary phrase of the first. These are truly some of Bruch's more inspired pages, arguably the equal of the more celebrated slow movement of the first concerto.

The finale, Allegro molto, is a sonata-rondo. Again, the thematic material is in groups, rather than individual melodies. The principal group of the rondo is a D minor triadic couplet in dotted-notes and triplets, followed by a D major complementary theme in multiple stops on the violin. This leads in turn to a lyrical A minor tune in double stops, with the dotted-note/triplet rhythm of the first theme providing the orchestral accompaniment, followed again by a series of flowing melodies veering into the expected key of F. This leads to a return of the rondo couplet, this time shared between orchestra and violin. A modulation transitions into an extensive development and return of the primary and secondary material, this time transposed into the tonic. A coda at turns mischievous and triumphant concludes what must surely be Bruch's most ambitious, expansive and dramatic concerto.

References

• http://www.wooster.edu/music/twood/bruchcatalog.html#58