Violin Concerto

Carl Nielsen's Concerto for Violin and orchestra, op. 33 [D.F.61] was written for Peder Møller (1877-1940) in 1911. Unusually, the concerto has two movements, both opening with a slower prelude. Background The Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 33, was not an easy assignment for Nielsen. He began writing it in the summer of 1911 in Bergen, Norway, where he was spending some time at the invitation of Nina Grieg. It progressed with some difficulty as Nielsen, now back in his native Denmark, commented that the concerto "has to be good music, and yet always make allowances for the activity of the solo instrument in the best light, that is rich in content, popular and dazzling without becoming superficial." In fact, he did not complete it until mid-December. Reception