Bruch Violin Concerto

After beginning a three-album Bruch series with the little-known Violin Concerto No. 3, Op. 58, Liebeck here takes up one of the composer's most famous works, the Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26. The rest of the program, though, advances the aim of Hyperion's Romantic Violin Concerto series, which is to recover forgotten works of the period. The little Romance in A minor, Op. 42 and the Serenade in A minor, Op. 75 both got started as concertos, but never came to full fruition.

In the 19th Century, music stood at a crossroads: Liszt and Wagner representing an aesthetic revolution while stalwarts such as Brahms and Max Bruch stood by the classic form. Bruch's style was fully developed by 1860, and though he lived and worked for another 60 years, the composer's work stands as a unified whole. This recording of Bruch's Symphony No. 1 and Violin Concerto No. 3 testifies to the consistency of the composer's vision. Though separated by over 20 years, they speak to Bruch's unfailing ear. Vividly performed by Richard Hickox and the London Symphony Orchestra, the works are vibrant and physical without sacrificing harmony or tonal structures.