Date of composition: 1866-1868
Premiere: 24 April 1866 in Koblenz, violin: Otto von Königslöw, conducted by the composer; premiere of the revised version on 5 January 1868 in Bremen, conductor: Karl Reinthaler, violin: Joseph Joachim
Duration: 25 minutes
Performances by the Berliner Philharmoniker:
First performed on 4 December 1882 conducted by Franz Wüllner and with Pablo de Sarasate as soloist
“The violin must be treated like a sweetheart,” Max Bruch was convinced, “and everything must be done to keep her content and happy.” So his son Ewald recalled. Bruch himself was an excellent pianist, yet he never warmed to his own instrument, even dismissing it as a “dreary rattle-box”. For him, the soul of music lay in melody – and a violin can simply sing with far more warmth and feeling than a piano ever could.
The violin inspired Bruch to his finest works. His international breakthrough came in 1868 with the Violin Concerto No. 1. He had laboured over the score for almost four years, consulting Joseph Joachim, the most celebrated German violinist of the day, on technical questions, reworking the solo part again and again, rewriting the orchestral accompaniment, and polishing the overall sound. When, at thirty, he finally dared present the project that was so dear to his heart to the public, it went on to have a “thoroughly fabulous career”.
The concerto opens with a timpani roll, pianissimo. The orchestra only hints at the main theme before the violin takes over – three times this happens, and throughout the rest of the work, the orchestra remains chiefly a prompter and companion, with formal design taking a back seat to atmosphere. The spotlight belongs to the violin alone: a passionate soloist who sighs with longing and laments dramatically, not unlike a stage diva captivating her audience through sheer intensity of expression.
The first movement, titled Vorspiel (Prelude), glides gently into an Adagio that tells of quiet happiness. The violin pours itself into wordless song, shaping broad melodic arcs. This slow movement looks back on the past through a transfigured, golden-evening light, lovely and enchanted.
The final Allegro energico brings a fresh breeze: the solo violin is swept along by the orchestra's verve, turning lively and self-assured, showing off its full brilliance and winning charm. The music presses forward fierily, always climbing, breaking into jubilation as it finally reaches the summit.
During Bruch's lifetime, the Violin Concerto No. 1 proved so lastingly successful that the composer's pride eventually curdled into frustration. Partly because in 1868 he had sold all usage rights for the paltry sum of 250 thalers to the publisher August Cranz, who alone now pocketed the profits. And partly because Bruch felt the work’s sheer popularity overshadowed everything else he wrote. His chart-topping hit even pursued him to southern Italy: “On the corner of the Via Toledo, near Castellammare, they’re already waiting, ready to pounce the moment they spot me, to play me my First Concerto,” he grumbled to his family in November 1903. “To hell with the lot of them! As if I hadn’t written other concertos just as good!”