Real
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Music: Composers, artists, and major works
Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, is an extended musical study of the movement of life, in blissful harmony. (Follow these links to additional performances by Vengerov, Vengerov, Szeryng, Oistrakh, Oistrakh, Grumiaux, Perlman, Perlman, Heifetz, Heifetz, Chung, Faust, Hahn, Jansen, Kreisler, Kreisler, Stern and Stern.)
- Beethoven’s humanism is apparent from the opening bars (00:45), as the orchestra announces the primary theme, which is thoroughly life-affirming in the highly resolved D major key. When the violin soloist joins the party (4:23), he pauses for a time on an extended riff on the theme, and then he and the orchestra explore the main theme and its affirmations throughout the remainder of the first movement (Allegro ma non troppo). There is no need to rush, say the players; life flows in its own time and we along with it.
- The second movement (Larghetto) offers a pause for reflection, contemplation and rest. This, too, is a part of flow. The orchestra sets the peaceful and gentle tone at the outset, and the soloist remains fully in the mood and the moment throughout.
- The third movement (Rondo {Allegro}) is the most forceful and vibrant of the three. It is a full-forward affirmation of a joyful life riding the wave of whatever time and space surrounds us.
Albums:
- Carrick, “The Flow Cycle of Strings”
- Jakob Bro, “Streams”
- Ludovico Einaudi, “Underwater”. Einaudi says: “It came naturally, more than ever before. I felt a sense of freedom to abandon myself and let the music flow differently. I didn’t have a filter between me and what came out of the piano; it felt very pure. The title Underwater is a metaphor – it is an expression of a very fluid dimension, without interference from outside.”
- Ludovico Einaudi, “Le Onde” (The Waves): “It takes as its inspiration the Virginia Woolf novel The Waves and the undulating, hypnotic melody evokes images of the rhythms and patterns of the ocean.”