Felix Mendelssohn

Violin Concerto No. 1 in D minor, MWV O 3 (2nd version)

The prodigy Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) composed the CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN No. 1 in D minor, MWV O 3, in 1822 when he was only 13. Written for Eduard Rietz, a dear friend and teacher, the concerto was forgotten, and after Mendelssohn died, his widow gifted the score to Mendelssohn's friend Ferdinand David. The work remained unknown until violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin, in 1951, was shown the manuscript by a London rate books dealer. Menuhin, realizing the opportunity he had, quickly bought the rights for the work from the Mendelssohn family, edited the concerto, then offered the first performance in well over 100 years at Carnegie Hall on February 4, 1952. While not as popular as Mendelssohn's VIOLIN CONCERTO in E minor, the work does find frequent performances. Reprint of the Renate Unger edition. String count of 8-8-5-5-5 in set.