Walton first met Jascha Heifetz in 1936, and in 1938 the virtuoso violinist commissioned him to write a concerto. In the same year, the British Council for the Arts asked Walton for a work to be performed at the New York Fair in June 1939, and the prospect of an early premiere looked likely. However, Walton was dissatisfied with the last movement, which he suspected was "not difficult enough for Heifetz," and withdrew the concerto from the New York concert. At the invitation of Heifetz he sailed to the United States in 1939 to discuss it with the soloist, who made a few suggestions for changes; but war broke out in Europe, so the premiere took place in Cleveland, OH, in December 1939 with Heifetz and Artur Rodzinski conducting. The concerto was not heard in New York until 1941, when critic Virgil Thompson wrote, "Its material is inoffensive but extremely vague. Its violin writing is glittery, its texture is continuous. The whole surface of it is dainty and luxurious [but] there is very little substance beneath." Today's listeners might well feel that, on closer acquaintance, the concerto has many hidden depths. It is among the most lyrical of Walton's major works, free from the tensions that mark his Symphony No. 1 and full of quirky, seemingly improvisatory surprises. Its tonality is precarious and rhythms complex; yet in many respects it is one of Walton's most romantic works.

The first movement (Andante tranquillo) is the slowest of the three and highly demanding on the soloist. The second movement (Presto capriccioso alla Napolitana) is mostly very fast, with a song-like middle section in waltz time marked Cantelina. The finale (Vivace), marked Tema con improvazione, starts in a lively 3/4 tempo and contains some of Walton's most eloquent inventions, with much thematic interweaving ending in a spectacular flourish. Two of the variations are for full orchestra, and two for solo violin.

There is no sign of the doubt and indecision that preceded the work in its final form. Delicate and full-blooded by turns, its most attractive qualities lie in the ways in which Walton's lively imagination spreads a sunny, Mediterranean glow over what is, by any standards, a challenge to both players and listeners.

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