Violin-ConcertoNT6a

Violin Concerto  “Night Tour” 

(2022)   |   24 minutes

Commissioned by the Shanghai Symphony for the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition

SCORING A 3222 / 4231 / timp / 2 perc / optional: yangqin (Chinese Dulcimer) / hp / solo vln / str

SCORING B (this reduced orchestra is generally preferred by the composer) 2222 / 2201 / timp / 1 perc / optional: yangqin (Chinese Dulcimer) / hp / solo vln / str

ALSO AVAILABLE 
For violin and piano arranged by the composer

PREMIERE 
26-28 August 2022, by six laureates of the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition: Rino Yoshimoto (Japan), Thomas Lefort (France), Ruifeng Lin (China), Felicitas Schiffner (Germany), Angela Sin Ying Chan (Hong Kong, China), and Shannon Lee (USA). Subscription premiere: Ruifeng Lin with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lü Jia. 11 November 2022, Shanghai Symphony Concert Hall, Shanghai, China. 

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PURCHASE SCORE (SCORING B)

Watch

Performed by Stern Violin Competition awardee Ruifeng Lin, with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lü Jia
I. Vivo (0:00) · II. Amoroso (10:37) · III. Con brio (18:42)

Programme Note

Violin Concerto “Night Tour” takes listeners on a musical voyage to splendidness after dark. It spans a range of moods, from a playful, folky tune to a tranquil meditation, and finally to a wild night ritual filled with edgy rhythms. The piece draws inspiration from various cultures and aims to seamlessly blend them. Commissioned as the designated new work for the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, the piece carries a spirit of optimism, and was performed by violinists from around the world.

The 24-mintue work unfolds in three movements:

I. Vivo opens with the soloist in an energetic quasi cadenza, supported by rhythmic sparkles from the brass and strings. The music soon unfolds into a songful Andante, in which a melody is slowly developed into a vivid toccata. After reaching a climactic point, a “real” cadenza appears, followed by a shortened return of the toccata.

II. Amoroso is a late-night walk in a quiet city. Still and chorale-like at first, the soloist soon joins the plush strings with an airy lullaby. The sonic color is altered through sul ponticello (with the bow kept near the bridge) and flautando (creating a flute-like sound by moving the bow lightly on the string near the fingerboard), masking the hinted atonality in the melody with romanticism. The prolonged coda, supported by vibraphone, harp, quiet trumpets and strings, features variations on a G-minor chord – some bright, some moody, infinitely changing.

III. Con brio is a virtuosic dance in perpetual motion. Here, the syncopated orchestral pattern periodically “interrupts” the scherzo-like violin solo, until the two switch roles. Perhaps more than the previous two movements, the finale incorporates influences from non-western music, especially in the treatment of the rhythm and gestures such as slides and glissandos. An accumulation of materials propels the piece to a climactic ending.
©Zhou Tian

周 天 |小提琴协奏曲《夜途》(2022)

小提琴协奏曲《夜途》由上海交响乐团委约,作为第三届上海艾萨克·斯特恩国际小提琴比赛的指定作品,由来自世界各地的青年小提琴家演奏。作品从一个深夜的车站中受到启发,用音乐描绘了充满了光明与希望的三个夜间片段,并力图在弓弦之间展现独奏家与乐队在协奏、合奏、竞奏中相互交融而迸发出的无限张力——从婉约的旋律到光彩的炫技,从中国民族音调的应用到现代和声与强烈节拍的结合。不同的人演奏《夜途》,聆听《夜途》,会有不同的共鸣——可能听到了自己的缩影,可能勾起一段夜间旅途的回忆,也可能是开启了一个充满未知的全新历程。

第一乐章(生动地):这是一段充满了律动与惊喜的归途。乐曲在明亮的小提琴独奏中开始,与神秘的低音铜管节拍形成鲜明的对比,在一段“准华彩”后,乐曲进入平缓的中板。之后,音乐在小提琴独奏的带领下经过具有强烈节拍的发展段和呼应主题的华彩段后,在富有律动的意境中结束。
 
第二乐章(温婉地):这是一次独步夜“徒”。褪去白天车水马龙的繁杂,漫步在寂静的夜空下,这是旅行者自己的夜间独白。
 
第三乐章(充满活力地):这是一场热情洋溢的奔途。独奏小提琴与乐队的各个声部在协奏与合奏中快速切换,在欢腾的气氛中将音乐推向高潮。

首演:2022年11月11日,林瑞沣(大赛获奖者之一),上海交响乐团,指挥:吕嘉

©Zhou Tian / First Edition Press (ASCAP). All rights reserved. 版权所有,翻版必究

Other Media

Six laureates of the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition who premiered "Night Tour": Rino Yoshimoto of Japan; Thomas Lefort of France; Ruifeng Lin of China; Felicitas Schiffner of Germany; Angela Sin Ying Chan of Hong Kong, China; and Shannon Lee of the United States. Photo: SISIVC

For violin