Hyperion Records

The dreamy, rhapsodizing introduction, in which the violin speaks with the unmistakable accents of the gypsy fiddler, is one of the few overtly ‘Hungarian’ passages in the work. The lyrical theme itself is announced by the piano, espressivo, and is then restated by the violin to form the first variation. The next four variations decorate the theme in progressively smaller note-values, giving the impression of a controlled acceleration that arrives at a ‘hunting’ variation with the violin in virtuosic counterpoint against horn-imitations in the piano. After a lively continuation in variation 7, variation 8 features the violin, unaccompanied, with impressive chords which are taken up by the piano in variation 9.

A new and pensive melody, sung by the violin over the theme’s original harmonies, forms variation 10 and leads to two expressive major-key variations (11 and 12) which, with 10, form a kind of central ‘slow movement’ in the sequence. The momentum picks up over the next four variations (13–16), culminating in another ‘hunting’ variation (17) shared between violin and piano. Variation 18 forms the introduction to the finale, a lively movement founded on a new violin theme that goes in combination with the original theme in the piano. This is a kind of rondo (and here Joachim again indulges in explicit colouring all’Ongarese) that races to a brilliant conclusion in E major.

from notes by Calum MacDonald © 2008