As I am doing more writing recently, I have been listening to an assortment of lyrics-less music. For the past week or so it has been romantic era concertos (concerti?). This all started when I rediscovered Tchaikovsky's violin concerto. This is my dad's favourite concerto. As a result, it has been trivialized in my brain from his whistling the tune on the toilet. But when I listened to Itzhak Perlman perform the piece the other day...let's just say my spirit was so moved.
I am not saying anything new here, but I like how the concerto is so hummable. Each part of the music flows into the next in such an intuitive way that, even though the first movement is almost 20 minutes long, its very easy to memorize it and sing along. I think this has a lot to do with Perlman's interpretation of the piece. He did a very great job carrying through and building the intensity of the piece without much interruption to the flow of the music.
I also love that the central motif of the first movement is so warm and sublime. I enjoy how Tchaikovsky starts the piece with a cautious and subdued version of the motif and slowly builds on it. Every time it appears it is different and slightly richer than the last, sometimes playful, sometimes romantic, and sometimes extremely intense. At 10:38, at the end of an incredibly difficult and demanding cadenza that keeps you tense and in awe of what a human body can achieve, the melody softens and settles into a long trill, WHICH BECOMES THE ACCOMPANIMENT FOR THE FLUTE TO COME IN WITH A TENDER RENDITION OF THE MOTIF???? When that happens you simply cannot help but melt into your chair. Wonderful, life affirming, soul nourishing.
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