Sibelius Violin Concerto mov. 1
TIm C.
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I chose to showcase the opening and the ending of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, the finale being my favorite section. I’ve always liked darker music that is more unconventional, like Prokofiev, and Sibelius: the dynamic/crescendo placements, the icy atmosphere, and a distinct cultural-nationalist theme- Finnish and Soviet/Russian for Prokofiev. To me, learning the background is the best part of such pieces and trying to emulate what the composer intended. Working on this concerto pushed me in new ways. The orchestral accompaniment isn’t straightforward, and matching it, I struggled with it, especially since I had to use an audio recording for the piano accompaniment. For this piece, I was inspired by violinists like Hilary Hahn (I saw live this year) and Sarah Chang, whose interpretations of this concerto were amazing and expressive, and made me forever fall in love with this piece.
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Creativity to me means connecting with an art piece, its cultural background, and story. For music, you have to go beyond the printed page, understanding a piece 120%, so much that, despite any mishaps, you still convey darkness and storm in pieces of sorrow, and warmth in bright vivacissimos.
