Beethoven's Violin Concerto New York Performances

At David Geffen Hall, the New York Philharmonic pairs Manfred Honeck’s Elektra Suite—drawn from Richard Strauss’s opera—with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, played by María Dueñas in her NY Phil debut. Written in 1806, the concerto helped reset expectations for the violin as a symphonic voice, built on long lines and an unusually prominent timpani pulse. New York first heard it in the 19th century, and it has remained a touchstone of the city’s concert life. Its scale asks for restraint as much as virtuosity, a hard balance to maintain.