[Boris Tishchenko] Violin Concerto No.1 Op.9/29 (Score-Video)

Performers: Victor Liberman (Violin) Edward Serov / Leningrad Chamber Orchestra —————— Special Thanks to my friend ‪@工具人-p8n‬ for permission to reupload his video on YouTube! Here's the original link: www.bilibili.com/video/BV1eUMR6qEYV/ —————— The first draft of Boris Tishchenko’s Violin Concerto No. 1 was completed in 1958 and dedicated to the violinist Viktor Semyonovich Lieberman. At the time, the composer was around 19 years old and had just graduated from the Secondary Music School of the Leningrad Conservatory (where he studied under Galina Ustvolskaya). He then entered the Leningrad Conservatory to continue his composition studies under senior masters such as Vadim Salmanov, Victor Voloshinov, and Orest Evlakhov. Chronologically, this work represents one of his earliest attempts at large-scale forms. By any standard, however, it far exceeds the scope of a mere student exercise: its musical language is already highly individualized and features daring, radical explorations in many passages. By 1964, while pursuing postgraduate studies under Dmitri Shostakovich, Tishchenko’s personal style had begun to coalesce, backed by substantial experience in large-scale composition. His works from this period included his undergraduate graduation piece, the First Symphony (Op. 20, 1961), dedicated to one of his teachers, Victor Voloshinov, as well as the ballet The Twelve (Op. 25, 1962–1963), based on the narrative poem by Alexander Blok. His growing creative maturity, coupled with his deeper assimilation and exploration of modern and contemporary techniques, prompted the composer to revisit his early output, ultimately resulting in an extensive revision of the First Violin Concerto. In Tishchenko’s violin concertos, the soloist frequently takes on the role of presenting primary materials, which the orchestra subsequently transforms and develops. In the first movement of this work, the principal theme is pastoral. Following a brief orchestral response, the motifs of the entire theme are quickly dismantled; fragmented, pointillistic, Webern-like textures and timbral distribution represent one of Tishchenko’s most favored techniques here. This transformation is based on the dissection of the principal theme's motifs rather than strict dodecaphonic serialism. Concurrently, by randomly adding or subtracting subdivisions within the metric pulse, the composer imparts an irregular, forward-stumbling momentum to the transitional passages. Once the meter stabilizes again, an aggressive, march-like subordinate theme emerges. These elements constitute the core materials of the first movement, which unfolds in a sonata-allegro design, generating dramatic tension through the sharp, vivid contrast of these disparate ideas. The second movement is my personal favorite and forms the structural heart of the entire work. It is divided into two vividly contrasted sections: a moto perpetuo and an expansive cadenza. The clarinet first introduces the perpetual-motion figuration, soon joined by various woodwind and string lines—a technique reminiscent of early Soviet "constructivist" gestures explored by composers such as Alexander Mosolov. Meanwhile, the violin introduces a lyrical theme that maintains its distinct profile and linear identity even as the orchestral textures and colors beneath it constantly shift and accumulate. Here, the unified kinetic momentum proliferates through orchestration, textural density, and dynamic volume, eventually swelling into a colossal sonic mass that engulfs the soloist. This embodies an aesthetic principle Tishchenko favored in both his violin and cello concertos: the soloist sometimes stands as an equal partner to the orchestra, yet at other times must yield to a broader symphonic imperative. The soloist’s unique identity never completely vanishes, but it cannot exist detached from the orchestral whole. As the composer entered his mature period, his Violin Concerto No. 2 would explore this concept to an even greater degree. Following this near-cataclysmic climax comes the grand solo cadenza, which functions structurally as a transformative bridge for the concerto as a whole. The solo part employs rapid scales, wide leaps, glissandi, and sudden shifts in register. As the cadenza unfolds, the pitch and rhythmic materials of the second movement are gradually diluted and exhausted, steadily losing their outward motoric drive. Simultaneously, the reflective, meditative themes of the third movement begin to take hold, ultimately leading seamlessly (attacca) into the finale. (Description provided by ‪@工具人-p8n‬) —————— I do not own neither the score, nor the recordings used in this video. This is only for educational purposes. If you have any complaints regarding copyright issues, please write to me directly at asorabji20(at)gmail(dot)com before submitting a report to YouTube and I will remove the video ASAP.