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Michael Hill International Violin Competition

The Michael Hill International Violin Competition website

Final

This performance is being broadcast live on Radio New Zealand Concert.

11 June 2009 at 7:30pm
Auckland Town Hall Great Hall

3 Competitors - in Collaboration with The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra

Conductor: Roy Goodman

Concertos chosen by each of the finalists have been selected from the following:

Bartók Concerto No 2

Allegro non troppo
Andante tranquillo
Allegro molto

At first glance Bartók’s Second Violin Concerto appears to be in the time-honoured three-movement form but a closer look reveals that while the central movement is quite overtly a set of variations, the finale is in fact one massive variation on the sonata-form first movement. This structural complexity does not detract in the slightest from the melodic inventiveness and general approachability of the work, with its spicily Hungarian flavours and abundant opportunities for the violin to sing and to strut.

Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D, Op.61 (1806)

Allegro ma non troppo
Larghetto
Rondo (Allegro)

In his only Violin Concerto Beethoven expanded the scope of the concerto form consolidated by Mozart in the eighteenth century, bringing it closer to the symphony in both form and content. The muted timpani strokes that herald the lyrical main theme of the first movement emerge gradually as an important motto theme. Conversational and meditative, the second movement is succeeded by an almost whimsical finale, reflecting perhaps the composer’s sheer joy in his own creative fecundity.

Brahms Concerto in D major

Allegro non troppo
Adagio
Allegro agitato, ma non troppo vivace

Following Beethoven’s example, Brahms designed his Violin Concerto along symphonic lines, its essentially serene character reminiscent of his Second Symphony, composed during the previous year. The first and second movements exploit the singing qualities of the violin, while the finale is in a more virtuosic style with Hungarian flavours.

1. Britten Concerto
2. Prokofieff Concerto No 1 in D major Op 19
3. Prokofieff Concerto No 2 in G minor Op 63
4. Walton Violin Concerto

Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor Op 99 (aka Op. 77) (1947-48)

Nocturne (Moderato)
Scherzo (Allegro)
Passacaglia (Andante)
Burlesque (Allegro con brio)

Dedicated to the eminent Russian violinist David Oistrakh, Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto waited seven years for its first performance, because in the Soviet Union at that time music with any degree of emotional complexity was considered politically dangerous. Two deeply contemplative slow movements alternate with shorter fast movements, offering the soloist ample opportunity for displays both of virtuosity and of deeper qualities of musicianship.

Sibelius Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 (1903, rev. 1905)

Allegro moderato
Adagio di molt
Allegro

Sibelius had long since abandoned his youthful ambition to be a solo violinists by the time he composed his Violin Concerto, but his intimate knowledge of the instrument allowed him to compose for it with boldness and confidence. The first and second movements in particular strike a distinctive balance between passionate lyricism and a sternly northern tone of voice, while the finale was wittily described by Sir Donald Francis Tovey as “a polonaise for polar bears.”

Tchaikovsky Concerto in D, Op. 35 (1878)

Allegro moderato
Canzonetta (Andante)
Allegro vivacissimo

Pronounced unplayable by the virtuoso for whom it was originally intended, Tchaikovsky’s remains one of the most technically challenging of all concertos for the violin. Yet for all the virtuosity it demands this perennial favourite has a profoundly lyrical heart, particularly in the Canzonetta second movement.

Programme Notes by Robert Johnson.

This performance is being broadcast live on Radio New Zealand Concert.

Information

Background

The Michael Hill International Violin Competition aims to promote young violinists from all over the world who are launching their professional solo careers and are aspiring to establish themselves on the world stage; to recognise and encourage excellence and musical artistry, and to expand performance opportunities (including playing New Zealand repertoire).

Coverage

Radio New Zealand Concert will be publishing audio on demand of the performances from the semi-finals and final on this page. Semi-final round III and the final will also be broadcast live on air.