Concerto for Violin No.1 in G minor by Max Bruch

                 Max Bruch wrote this extremely popular concerto between 1864 and 1868, perhaps at the height of the Romantic era. The concerto was not something Bruch felt comfortable composing and had expressed his reservations about composing it at all. 

             It adopts the three-movement structure. The allegro moderato in the prelude, adiago, and the allegro energico in the finale.

             Bruch’s firm adherence to the rich, mostly orderly sound of mid-19th-century romanticism is evident throughout his corpus, which includes not only many violin pieces but also symphonies, symphonic dances, and various other works. 

              By the time of his death in the early 20th century, however, musical styles had charged ahead through the thematic and ahrmonic innovations of Franz Lizst and Richard Wagner to the angular rhythms of Igor Stravinsky.

               Indeed, as exemplified by the Violin Concerto No. 1, Bruch remained faithful to flowing melodies and graceful rhythms reminiscent of an earlier era. The sonata-form first movement of the work,

              “Prelude: allegro moderato,” features the violinist performing impassioned solo passages in alternation with a more solidly paced—but occasionally ardent—orchestral voice.

               The second movement, “Adagio,” presents three sentimental themes, which are explored and developed fairly evenly across the solo and orchestral parts.  

               The spirited third movement, “Finale: allegro energico,” is based largely on a vibrant theme that is suggestive of a folk dance.