Benjamin Godard: Violin Concerto No.2 in G minor, Op.131, Thomas Christian (violin)

Benjamin Godard - Violin Concerto No.2, in G minor, Op. 131 (1891), Thomas Christian (violin), Bamberger Symphoniker, Christian Simonis (conductor) I. Allegro moderato – 00:00 II. Adagio quasi andante – 10:08 III. Allegro non troppo – 17:46 Benjamin Louis Paul Godard (18 August 1849 – 10 January 1895) was a French violinist and Romantic-era composer of Jewish extraction. „Anyone consulting the average musical dictionary for information about this composer will be disappointed to find very little biographical information. Hereceive just a brief mention: his works are not discussed, but, at best, simply labelled 'salon music' or 'little virtuoso pieces'. Modern musical thinking around 1900 disparagingly labelled these two trends as empty virtuosity and trivial salon music for young ladies, a condemnation which was also applied, though unjustly, to many of the more serious composers of the day. Only slowly, as these prejudices are overcome, is the music of such composers regaining its status - a process which is at last giving us the opportunity to hear their works for ourselves and form our own opinion. Benjamin Godard was the son of an affluent family, started violin lessons early, and by the age of fourteen was already studying violin and composition at the Paris Conservatoire. One of his teachers there was Henri Vieuxtemps, who also taught Emile Sauret a short time later. Godard submitted entries for the Prix de Rome, the Conservatoire's coveted composition prize, in 1867 and again in 1868. If he failed both times, he was at least in good company: Berlioz too had been rejected twice. After completing his studies Godard devoted himself exclusively to playing in string quartets and composing. His impressive list of compositions runs to over 150 and ranges through all genres - symphonies, symphonic poems, concertos, chamber music, songs and a great number of salon pieces for piano. Many of his works were performed immediately at the 'Concerts populaires' thanks to his friend and patron Jules Pasdeloup. By 1882 his fame was so great that a festival took place devoted exclusively to his works. In 1887, at the height of his fame, he was appointed professor at the Paris Conservatoire. Godard's late second Violin Concerto in G minor op. 131 was dedicated to his friend, the violinist Johannes Wolff. Beautifully written for the instrument, it is a romantic violin concerto par excellence both in the virtuosity of its violin part and its whole conception. The character of the first movement is determined by the contrast between the powerful chords at the opening and the more tranquil second theme. Individual sections, recurring constantly, are linked by the soloist with brilliant cadenza-like interpolations. In effective contrast, the second movement (Adagio quasi Andante) is pervaded by a darker colouring established by the horn in a brooding opening theme. The mood is continued in the violin's apparently simple, sustained melody, which is briefly interrupted in the central section. Breathlessly energetic triplets open the last movement (Allegro non troppo), and violin and orchestra are given very little respite through-out. The solo violin's first relatively long rest is followed by a lyrical theme, and the two melodic `blocks' are then juxtaposed and contrasted. A coda in faster tempo, beginning at the point where a cadenza might be expected, brings the movement to a close.” (from Album notes by Michael Raab)