Violin Concerto

Goldschmidt Violin Concerto
In 1995 Goldschmidt wrote:

I began toying with the idea of writing a piece for violin and orchestra in the early 1930s. Whilst working on sketches in short as well as full score I became aware of a certain lack of knowledge as to 'virtuoso' violin technique and of the need for a few more years to mature in that respect. This happened to be the period of World War II, during which I lost the urge to write music.

When I resumed work on the piece I composed it as a Concertino in three movements, ending with a Gigue, but after its first performance in 1952, a BBC studio recording, I rewrote it. Two years later I changed the form of the piece to that of a fully-fledged concerto by adding a fourth movement. Thus the Gigue achieved the character of a Scherzo whereas the new Finale now established a correct balance with the weighty symphonic opening Allegro. The relentless drive and irregular metre of the Allegro show rhythm and melodies in a kaleidoscopic light, while the slow movement, Andante amoroso, speaks for itself.

Featured in the Chimes Blog post Violin concertos off the beaten path.