Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Violin Concerto in E min Op. 64

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) wrote his Violin Concerto in E minor over a six-year period from 1838 to 1844 for his childhood friend, the violinist Ferdinand David, who contributed the cadenza in the version of the concerto most performed today. The concerto premiered on March 13, 1845 in Leipzig, but Mendelssohn himself was unable to conduct due to illness. Unlike most concerti of the time, Mendelssohn has the violin enter immediately without any orchestral introduction, and its cadenza is unusually placed after the development of the first movement instead of at the end of the movement. The concerto remains one of the most ubiquitous pieces in the violin repertoire. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Vn in set.