Violin concerto

Violin Concerto is a four-movement, thirty-five-minute work for violin and orchestra. The thematic content of the piece deals with the relationship between the individual and modern society; specifically, it explores the mechanical and constantly changing nature of life if the twenty-first century and the insecurity and instability it induces. Loosely speaking, the violinist is cast as the individual, while the orchestra often reflects the surrounding world or amplifies the expression of the soloist. Each movement deals with this concept in a roughly chronological manner: the first paints a picture of the violinist as part of an incessant, constantly evolving machine, where the soloist eventually decides that it is not worthwhile to try to keep up; the second captures a broad spectrum of emotions that result from feeling trapped, including numbness, angst, rage, and hopelessness; the third is a reverie – a brief escape to a major mode and a moderate compound meter, with some tumultuousness along the way; the fourth is a finale, in a traditional sense, where the violinist finally gains control despite a sense of mounting pressure. In its instrumentation, the piece includes a customized synthesizer, an assortment of modern percussion, and a full complement of brass. This paper will discuss the piece’s background and influences, and it will ultimately provide a high-level analysis of the structural, thematic, and motivic content that serves each movement’s larger purpose.Musi