Violin concerto D major op.61 (1805)

Violin concerto D-Major op.61 - (to the Piano concerto op.61a)

The two original versions based on Beethoven's manuscript differ from the printed version only in the part of the solo violin. It is said that Beethoven made the changes for the printed version after seeing violinist Franz Clement playing the piece. Unlike his piano concertos, Beethoven did not wrote any cadenzas for his only complete violin concerto. All the more many well-known composers and instrumentalists have filled in their own way the gaps the score has left for a complete performance. Some like J.Hellmesberger Sr, or Otokar Novacek relied their Cadenza strongly on the original Cadenza by Beethoven written for the Pianoversion of the Concertop (op.61a). As this already included an accompagniment of the Soloist by the Timpani both and even F.Busoni in the 20th Century included likewise an additional Timpanipart for their Violin-Cadenzas. Hellmesberger added not only an orchestral accompagniment for parts of the Cadenza, he even transcribed the 'Marcia' in Beethovens Piano-cadenza as full orchestrated Orchestral Interlude inside the Cadenza, which was once played completly without the Soloist and the second time accompagnied by the Soloist with ad libitum arpeggios.

To my knowledge, these are the first recordings of the cadenzas by M. Anzoletti, Pierre Baillot, Jaques Dupuis, Joseph Hellmesberger, Eduard Herrmann, Arno Hilf, Adolf Margulies, Waldemar-Julius Meyer, Ottokar Novacek, Jules Pennequin, Max Reichel, Eugene Sauzay, Edmund Singer and Julius Winkler to Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major op.61, published here. Premiere recording