Violin Concerto (Adams)

The Violin Concerto by the American composer John Adams was written in 1993. Its premiere was on January 19, 1994, by Jorja Fleezanis with the Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Edo de Waart, at the Ordway Music Theater, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The piece was co-commissioned by the New York City Ballet, leading to a strong sense of rhythm throughout the entire work. For it, Adams received the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.

A typical performance lasts around 35 minutes.

The Violin Concerto has been described as "the most original approach to the genre since the Alban Berg Concerto".

Structure
The work is in three movements:

1. Chaconne: Body through which the dream flows

2. Toccare

It is dedicated to the memory of David Huntley of Boosey & Hawkes.

Instrumentation
The work calls for solo violin accompanied by an orchestra with the following instrumentation.


 * Woodwinds
 * 2 flutes (both doubling piccolos)
 * 2 oboes (2nd doubling cor anglais)
 * 2 clarinets (2nd doubling bass clarinet)
 * 2 bassoons


 * Brass
 * 2 horns in F
 * trumpet in C


 * Percussion
 * 2 players, doubling on
 * timpani
 * guiro
 * 3 bongo drums
 * 2 conga drums
 * bass drum
 * suspended cymbal
 * tambourine
 * claves
 * high cowbell
 * vibraphone
 * marimba
 * tubular bells


 * Keyboards
 * 2 synthesizers


 * Strings
 * violin I (minimum 6)
 * violin II (minimum 6)
 * violas (minimum 5)
 * cellos (minimum 5)
 * double basses (minimum 2)

Recordings
The first recording was with the London Symphony Orchestra, featuring soloist Gidon Kremer, and conducted by Kent Nagano, released as Nonesuch 79360–2.

In 2017 Orchid Classics released a recording (coupled with the Korngold violin concerto), with soloist Ilya Gringolts and the Copenhagen Philharmonic conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali, reference ORC100066.