Rode, Pierre (1774-1830)

The Violin Concerto No. 5 in D major, probably written around 1800/1801, is more pastoral in character than the bold First Concerto. The first movement begins with an Adagio introduction featuring mellow woodwind, which gives away after ten measures to the main Allegro giusto tempo. A contrasting gently rocking theme reappears both in the development/contrasting section and the recapitulation. The Siciliano is an elegant and introspective movement. After a full orchestral statement of the Siciliano theme, the soloist enters with a dolce second theme. After this material is fully explored and followed by a subsequent orchestral tutti, the soloist enters with the theme with which the orchestra began the movement, winding down to a quiet close, the soloist playing until the end. Among the most interesting aspects of the concerto's Rondo à la russe finale is the main rondo tune. Schwarz identified it as based on the tune used by Beethoven in his Variations for solo piano WoO71 (after Wranitzky's ballet Das Waldmädchen), and Wranitzky's theme is in turn based on the rondo finale of one of Giornovichi's violin concertos. Schwarz claimed that, though distorted, the theme ultimately derives from the Russian folk-tune "In the Field Stood a Little Birch Tree". Rode's treatment contains all the energy and brio of his finales and is a delight from beginning to end.