Bach - Concerto for 2 violins in d minor, BWV. 1043 (c.1720)
The “Double” concerto has become one of Bach’s more popular works. I think the popularity comes from the clear Vivaldi influence, and how the music has the same sense if spontaneity and flow, while at the same time including fugal and canon like moments in the instruments. It also does a good job of balancing the two soloists so neither violin outshines the other. The first movement rushes us into the drama with an orchestral introduction, and the soloists later come in with the melody in a call-and-response. The soloists’ passages are interrupted every now and then with the repetition of the tutti. I particularly love the moments where one soloist plays the theme as the other plays a drone note, that makes me think of old Medieval organum, or how the planets are fixed in orbit around the sun. Then comes the highlight of the work, the slow movement, which is a glorious passage of instrumental music. The two violins trade off the melody that weaves together over a slow but deliberately forward chord progression. The subtle dissonances that resolve right after they’re introduced keep us hooked to the next note, making an itch that it immediately scratches, and is almost drug like in making us long for consonance, and for repetition. I think this is why so many people love the movement, and why they are taken in almost as if by magic. The last movement brings us back to the minor key drama, and while the rhythm changes, it still carries us to the end in an energetic rush.
Movements:
1. Vivace
2. Largo ma non tanto
3. Allegro
