Jean Sibelius
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47

Henri Dutilleux
Métaboles

Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky
Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32

Alena Bajeva – violin
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Lionel Bringuier – conductor

The Violin Concerto by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is his only concerto for a solo instrument and orchestra. The choice of violin was not without reason, Sibelius had been learning to play the instrument since childhood, and he knew all its technical variances well. The solo part is rightfully considered one of the most difficult violin solos ever written. The concerto only became popular after the World War II. Today, it is an integral part of the repertoire of violinists all around the globe. Part of its fame has to do with the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, taking place in Helsinki since 1965, in which the Violin Concerto is a mandatory composition to play during the third round.

Dutilleux is one of the more conservative composers of the 20^th century. He wrote Métaboles during the years 1962-1964 on the occasion of the 40 year anniversary of the Cleveland Orchestra. It premiered in January 1965. Les Métaboles immediately became a success and to this day it remains one of the best-known and most recognized pieces of this composer.

Even today, listeners are fond of Tchaikovsky’s music for its melancholic emotional character. Symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini was written in October 1876, inspired by the fifth canto of Dante’s Divine Comedy. After three weeks of composing, Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest: “I have worked at it with love, and the love, it seems, has come out quite well.”