150 Brahm’s Violin Concerto

Rather than having you read about this great violin concerto, I’d like you to listen to this discussion of the work on NPR. They spend some time talking about the particular recording that they are reviewing, but most of the discussion focuses on the work itself. There is one term that, while not mentioned in the recorded discussion, is very important to know when listening to this piece: double-stop. Double-stop is the term used when a violinist (or other bowed stringed instrumentn such as viola or cello) plays two strings at once instead of playing a single string which is the norm. You’ll hear extensive use of double stops in both the 1st and 3rd movements of this concerto (the 3rd is the only movement on our playlist).