Donnacha Dennehy’s Violin Concerto receives its German premiere as part of Musikfest Berlin with soloist Augustin Hadelich, Konzerthausorchester Berlin and conductor Joana Mallwitz on September 9. This is Dennehy’s first multi-movement concerto and it is written especially for Augustin Hadelich.
The violinist and the composer were in regular exchange during composing. Hadelich comments: “Collaborating with Donnacha Dennehy in the creation of this new violin concerto has been a very exciting process. We started with long conversations about what the genre of the violin concerto is and could be, and then over the next year talked frequently, going over the solo violin part as the piece took shape. It was a fun and meaningful experience for me to contribute to the piece with my suggestions.”
In his Violin Concerto, Dennehy explores the dialogue between the solo and the mass. The first movement “zooms in and out of various perspectives”, followed by a slow, second movement reminiscent of the sea and filled with yearning. Finally, in the conclusion of the third movement, the violin threatens “to spiral everything out of control", leading to a “fierce conclusion on the very edge of what is possible!”, says Dennehy.
The violin concerto was commissioned for Augustin Hadelich by the Oregon Symphony, their Music Director Carlos Kalmar, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Philharmonie Zuidnederland. It premiered in October 2021 with Hadelich, the Philharmonie Zuidnederland and conductor Claus Peter Flor.
See the website of Konzerthaus Berlin for more information.
