Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto: The Composer’s Original, Auer’s Edition, and the Performer’s Dilemma

Authors

Caitlin Johnson, Brigham Young University
Alexander Woods, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Tchaikovsky, violin concerto, Auer, performer's dilemma, violinists

College

Fine Arts and Communications

Department

Music

Abstract

I began my project with two purposes: to compile a history of the evolution of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35, including the compositional process, premiere history, different editions, and performance tradition; and to synthesize that research in an informed performance of the concerto. The Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto is a landmark in the genre’s evolution. Initially deemed too difficult to play and too transgressive of musical norms, the concerto received vitriolic reviews. Between the concerto’s genesis and its acceptance as a classic, it was altered to produce the several versions performed today. The edits made by performer and pedagogue Leopold Auer, contemporary of Tchaikovsky, are the best known. Auer later championed the concerto, but not before making substantial changes.

Recommended Citation

Johnson, Caitlin and Woods, Alexander (2015) "Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto: The Composer’s Original, Auer’s Edition, and the Performer’s Dilemma," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2015: Iss. 1, Article 81.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2015/iss1/81