BEETHOVEN I SCHUMANN I PALA I LEJAVA

CD 1

Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin concerto in D-major op.61 (1806)

1. Allegro ma non troppo (cadenza: Marian Lejava)

2. Larghetto (cadenza: Jean Guillou)

3. Rondo. Allegro (cadenza: Milan Pala)

CD 2

Robert Schumann: Cello concerto in A-minor op.129 (1850) – version for violin (1853)

1. Nicht zu schnell – attacca:

2. Langsam – attacca:

3. Sehr lebhaft

Milan Pala – violin

Marian Lejava – conductor

Ensemble Opera Diversa

Available for download is stereo and 5-channel acoustic version.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin concerto in D-major op.61 (1806)

In 1806, Beethoven is losing more than 60% of his hearing. 1.The premiere of Violin concert appears to be a complete fiasco. The composer gives in the material at the very last moment and the soloist Franz Clement reads the Rondo in a forced pause after the second part. What is more, his violin excesses to amuse the audience only distracts from the master’s new piece. Several months later, the publisher Clementi orders a piano version of this work, which is assessed as “adequate or feeble” and “clearly derived”. This concert sinks into oblivion for long 38 years, until young Joseph Joachim brings it back to life and wins for it an inarguable place in Canon of so-called Large Romantic Concerts.

Robert Schumann: Cello concerto in A-minor op.129 (1850) – version for violin (1853)

In 1844, the year of Beethoven’s premiere, Robert Schumann is on an exhausting tour around Russia. After returning home, he moves with his family from Leipzig to Dresden, but his psychological exhaustion lasts. His turbulent artistic life continues with standard frenzied work commitment and tempo. The violoncello concert is written by Schumann in October 1850, within unbelievable 15 days. Three years later, he arranges the solo part for Joachim, but both versions will never be heard. His mental health is breaking down and another three years later, he dies in mental asylum in Bonn. The concert is criticized and ignored by many for dozens of years, until it becomes the first of the trio of large concerts for musical instrument.

I arranged both concerts in the intentions of Schönberg’s tradition by a technique I use since my work on Dvořák’s Rusalka from 2004. I based my work on preserved manuscripts of both concerts and relevant editions of scores, where I decided for some standard (old) and modern (also urtext) versions of printed scores. In questionable parts, I preferred the original (manuscript), regarding existing printed solutions with preserving intentions of the author. Particularly, in Beethoven’s concert, it has been many articulation variations (declensions), in Schumann’s concert the two existing endings. I composed the cadenza to the first part of Beethoven’s concert already in 2011, in 2020 I completely revised it for the needs of this record. The other two cadenzas are from Jean Guillou (2nd part) and Milan Pala (3rd part). The concert is therefore more up-to-date and has the authenticity of our era. M.L. October 2020

Recorded in high definition DXD format (352.8 kHz / 32 it)

Recording location: Konvent milosrdních bratří, Brno, Czech republic

Recordings: Beethoven on October 3 and Schumann on October 4 2020

Sound engineering, editing, mixing and mastering by Rostislav and Martin Pavlík for Pavlík Records

Recording producer: Matej Haász

Music record direction: Milan Pala

Project concept: Milan Pala

Arrangements, Liner notes and Art concept : Marian Lejava

Scores and orchestral material: USE Music publishing 2020

Graphical layout: Eva Turčáková

Art and Graphical design: Andrea Labudová

Photos: Julián Veverica (p.2), Marek Bartovič (p.11)

Translations: Lucia Kopačíková

Supported using public funding by Slovak Arts Council