VIOLIN CONCERTO

The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 was written by Pyotr Tchaikovsky in 1878 in Clarens, aSwiss resort on the shores of Lake Geneva, where Tchaikovsky had gone to recover from depression.

Tchaikovsky was joined there by his composition pupil, the violinist Iosif Kotek. Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Anatoly: "It goes without saying that I would have been able to do nothing without Losif. He plays it marvelously."

Tchaikovsky wanted to dedicate the concerto to Iosif Kotek, but felt constrained by the gossip this would cause about the true nature of his relationship with the younger man. (They were almost certainly lovers at one point.)

The concert is considered to be among the most technically difficult works for violin.

I love it. Its beautiful, strong and soft.