Igor Stravinsky

Stravinsky was introduced to American violinist Samuel Dushkin in 1931 by Willy Strecker of the publishing firm Schott, Mainz. The Violin Concerto in D was the first product to result from this relationship, and Dushkin performed the Concerto in numerous countries with the composer conducting. The two toured as recitalists in 1932-34, and Stravinsky early on saw the need for one of his own works to be part of the concert program. Until this time he had not written an appropriate piece, apparently because of an antipathy toward the combination of violin and piano. The Duo concertant received its first performance in October 1932 in Berlin, and became a regular feature on Dushkin and Stravinsky's recital programs. In addition, Stravinsky made several arrangements for violin and piano of earlier works, such as the Divertimento and the Suite italianne. Stravinsky gave the five movements of the Duo concertant titles that evoke musical forms and idioms of the past. Rapid repeated notes on the piano and an aggressive violin part characterize the opening of the Cantilène, which is cast in ABA form. The central section features furious violin double stops. The two Eglogue movements evoke the pastoral nature of the traditional eclogue. Eglogue I opens with a drone on the violin, and some of the ensuing violin parts are reminiscent of L'Histoire du soldat. Eglogue II is much more slow and contemplative, featuring, for the first time thus far in the piece, some interplay between the instruments. The fourth movement, Gigue, tends toward the Italian flowing triplet motion of the Baroque gigue, with an exciting central section in which the two instruments play in different meters. The Dithyrambe, written with a nod to the tragic, ancient Greek dithyramb, may be the most lyrically beautiful music Stravinsky ever wrote.