Concert Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 33. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Rimsky-Korsakov is so well-known as a composer of descriptive orchestral music, that most music-lovers do not know that he also composed symphonies and  concertos.  Many of Rimsky's solo works are fantasies of one sort or another based on folk songs from various countries.  The Fantasy on Russian Themes for violin and orchestra was composed in 1886, and in his autobiography My Musical Life, he left this note on how he came to write the piece:  "Having finished the revision of my Third Symphony and having grown interested in violn techniques(I had gained a rather thorough familiarity with the violin in the instrumental class), I conceived the idea of composing some virtuoso piece for the violin with orchestra.  Taking two Russian themes as a basis, I composed a Fantasy on these and dedicated the work to  P.A. Krasnokutsky, violin instructor in the Court Chapel."

The piece opens with a lyrical melody in B minor and features the solo violin in brilliant fantasia-like cadenzas.  The first half of the work is devoted to this lovely, singing Russian song.  The second half of the piece is much more animated, based on a dance-like theme, featuring extensive double-stopping in the solo part and sections which exploit the extreme high register of the violin.