Composer Edouard Lalo sometimes falls chronologically and/or stylistically between pillars of high Romanticism, such as Wagner and Brahms, and the first musical generation of twentieth century composers, which included fellow Frenchmen Debussy and Ravel. Having garnered the favor of a number of important performers, particularly the famous violinist Pablo de Sarasate, he composed several important works for violin and orchestra in the 1870s, including the Concerto in F major (1874), the famous Symphonie espagnole (1975), as well as the piece under consideration here, the Concerto russe for Violin and Orchestra (1879). Despite his French nationality, many observers hear Lalo's style as a kind of synthesis of Germanic form and balance and Russian, Scandinavian, or Spanish color. Modern listeners are tempted to simply reduce this to a general interest in the exotic, and more than one scholar has noticed strong affinities between the vibrant physicality of the Symphonie espagnole and the rhythmic drive in the faster portions of the Concerto russe. Whatever stylized geographic associations one derives from the tunes and textures, though, the ruling aesthetics in the Concerto russe are high Romantic lyricism, opulent expressiveness, and virtuosic flair. However, Sarasate chose not to perform it, leaving the premiere to Martin Marsick.

The concerto is cast in four movements, beginning with the slow prelude that leads directly into the Allegro first movement. The prelude alternates stately brass fanfares with brief but dramatic responses from the soloist. The violin responses grow increasingly difficult and expressive, with bowed quadruple stops and rising chromatic quintuplets suddenly catapulted to shimmering accented notes, before finally indulging in a short roller-coaster cadenza. This leads to the movement proper, its minor-mode melody at once more tuneful and more compelling. The movement proceeds in alternating fits of busy angst and more staid repose, with strong and evocative emphases on offbeats and less-than-subtle orchestrational effects. The second movement, subtitled "Chants russes," provides a stark contrast to the aggression of the first. A serene chordal accompaniment provides a hushed undercurrent for the soloist's gentle, plaintive melody. Movement three, identified as an Intermezzo, assumes a humorous herky-jerky character with soft, staccato chords disrupted by noisy off-beat accents. This serves as a springboard for the violin's furious fingerwork and acrobatic leaps across octaves. The fourth movement begins with a slow but forceful introduction, which leads into a nimble Vivace finale. Also bearing the subtitle "Chants russe," the movement's dotted rhythms and hemiolas lend the orchestral accompaniment a rhythmic drive and exotic vibrancy, while the quick triple-meter tune readily takes on ornamental flourishes and extroverted gestures appropriate to a late nineteenth century concerto finale.

© Jeremy Grimshaw, All Music Guide