Violin Concerto No. 2: Of Snow and Ice
Work Overview
Instrumentation: vln solo; 2(picc)-2(EH)-2(BsCl.)-2(Cbsn); 4-2-3-1; timp + 2perc; hrp, pno; strs.
Commission: Toronto Symphony through a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts
Premiere: February 28, 2015, Toronto, Canada. Jonathan Crow, violin solo. Toronto Symphony, Peter Oundjian conducting
Duration: 24 minutes
Program Note
Violin Concerto No. 2 “Of Snow and Ice” is commissioned by the Toronto Symphony and written for Jonathan Crow, violinist. The work’s genesis stems from recent nostalgic thoughts of my childhood during the harsh but beautiful winters in Alberta. Since moving to the San Francisco last year and getting adjusted to the temperate weather year-round without any trace of snow, my memories of sitting by my living room window and watching the white snow trickling down onto the bleak ground have been with me and ever present in my mind.
This work is in one continuous movement and is divided into the following sections: Birth of a Snowstorm; Crackling Ice: With Intensity and Rage; Macabre Pseudo-Winter Dance; and Final Return. The work starts effervescently, with violin solo harmonics weaving in and out of shimmering textures in the orchestra. The entire first section builds as a snowstorm does, starting as flutters and glistening moments, but then building into a powerful cascading mass. The violin solo then begins the main melodic line, which is derived from the Koch snowflake formula, a mathematical curve that describes the way a snowflake is formed. The orchestral build from the earlier section comes back with the violin solo at the forefront, and morphs into a dramatic highly chromatic orchestral climax.
The second section then ensues, Crackling Ice, and consists of insistent virtuosic passages for the violin, and crackling commentary in the orchestra. Macabre Pseudo-Winter Dance introduces a new thematic idea, a coquettish, slightly ironic theme that reminds me of cheesy ice skating themes from my childhood. This theme is mixed in with thematic materials of previous sections, and also features some prominent fully textured orchestral interruptions. A mini-cadenza follows with the violin displaying pyrotechnical arpeggios and harmonics, and is then answered by the biggest climax of the work, a free-for-all aleatoric orchestral section that recaps many of the materials of the concerto. An ascending chromatic line allows the intensity to wane and signals the Final Return, which brings back the material of the opening. The work ends similarly to its beginning, with violin harmonics, but is rounded out with delicate percussion and timpani strokes.
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Study score available for purchase; parts available for rental. Please contact Bill Holab Music for a rental quote.
Errata List
Artists are welcome to contribute any errors or notes for this work on our collaborative errata list.