The stories behind the Schumann violin concertos, and the almost unbelievable delays in their premieres, are as interesting as just about any compositional back stories in Western music history. The First Violin Concerto is actually Schumann's own reworking of the Cello Concerto for use by the violin. The changes are minimal, mainly altering octaves and making minor technical changes to make the score more idiomatic for the violin. This version was not known to have been performed in Schumann's lifetime, and the score was lost until 1987, the year of its official premiere. The D minor Concerto, with which more listeners are familiar, had similar difficulty getting off the ground. Dedicated to legendary violinist Joseph Joachim, the score and the work's publication were inexplicably suppressed for nearly a century. The concerto was not brought before an audience until 1937. Performing these two concertos, along with the often maligned Fantasy in C major, is Swedish violinist
Ulf Wallin along with the
Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie. Whether or not listeners agree with performance of the Cello Concerto on the violin, it is difficult to assail
Wallin's playing. His tone is as rich and deep as could be hoped for, coming as close as possible to the same visceral depth achieved by the cello. The same beauty of tone is brought to the D minor Concerto along with a captivating sense of pacing and rubato that is matched every step of the way by the orchestra.
Wallin goes beyond just playing Schumann's scores. He connects with his listeners and elevates his program to a level of sophistication and detail that leaves one wondering how these works could have gone unplayed for so long.