Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77

In 1878, Johannes Brahms took a well-deserved vacation after the successful premiere of two of his symphonies. It was here, in the charming town of Pörtschach am Wörthersee where he was staying, that he began composing his Violin Concerto in D major, which he intended to dedicate to his friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim. However, there was a slight downside: while Brahms was an accomplished pianist, he was far less proficient on the violin... He composed the work and presented it to Joachim, who deemed certain passages unplayable and requested revisions. Brahms complied with the virtuoso's recommendations and also removed the fourth movement, which he later reused in his Second Piano Concerto. Brahms' Violin Concerto was warmly received by the public, but its demanding nature made its path to the pantheon of great violin works challenging, with some violinists even refusing to perform it due to its difficulty. Today, however, the piece's melodic richness make it one of the pillars of the violin repertoire. In addition to the complex and magnificent violin part, the orchestral introduction is breathtaking. Discover all the interpretations of this masterpiece available on medici.tv on this page!