Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)

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Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, MWV O 14, is his last concerto. It opened to great praise and is now one of the best-known violin concertos in the world. A typical performance lasts about 30 minutes.

Creation and premiere
Mendelssohn asked his friend Ferdinand David, the Leipzig Gewandhaus concertmaster, to be the soloist for the concerto. He first spoke of the idea in 1838, but it took six more years to finish. Mendelssohn and David kept in close contact, and Mendelssohn asked for technical advice during the process. The autograph score is dated 1844. The concerto premiered in Leipzig on March 13, 1845, with David as soloist; Mendelssohn could not conduct due to illness, so Niels Gade conducted. Mendelssohn conducted the piece himself for the first time later that year.

Structure and style
The concerto has three movements in a fast–slow–fast layout, a common Romantic form, but it is innovative in many ways. The solo violin enters almost immediately with the opening melody in E minor. The work is through-composed, with the movements musically linked and played without pauses (attacca). The first movement includes a written-out cadenza, rather than an improvisation. The second movement is lyrical and in C major, with a quiet middle section. The finale, in E major, is lively and ends with a dramatic finish.

Instrumentation
It is written for solo violin and a standard Romantic-era orchestra: two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in A, two bassoons, two natural horns, two natural trumpets, timpani, and strings.

Impact and legacy
The concerto was influential and praised for its originality. It helped shape later violin concertos, influencing composers such as Tchaikovsky and Sibelius. Its linked movements and the written-out cadenza set new standards for the genre. It quickly became a staple of the violin repertoire and remains a favorite for performers and audiences. The piece has been recorded many times, including a notable early LP by Nathan Milstein with the New York Philharmonic in 1948.