Violin Concerto No. 5 (Paganini)
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The Violin Concerto No. 5 in A minor was composed by Niccolò Paganini in 1830. It is one of the most widely performed of Paganini's last violin concertos. A typical performance lasts about 40 minutes. It was Paganini's latest-composed concerto (Concerto No. 6 was partially written in 1815).
The concerto structured in three movements:
- Allegro maestoso (A minor)
- Andante, un poco sostenuto (E minor – E major)
- Finale – Rondo, andantino quasi allegretto (A minor)
The first movement is in sonata form, alternates between A minor and A major, and starts with a long orchestral introduction preceding the soloist's entry. The first theme of the first movement is derived from Paganini's "Le Streghe" (Witches' Dance) and the beginning of the second is found in his "Sonata Varsavia" (Warsaw Sonata). The key progression is characteristic of Paganini's minor concertos: A minor - C major - D minor - A major, unexpectedly returning to A minor four measures before the end of the first movement. The second movement is a slow and mournful andante, beginning in E minor and finishing in E major. The third is a rondo, with the refrain in A minor and two episodes (primarily in C major, then in F major). In the third movement, the recurring motif is the "alla campanella" melody. Paganini omits the standard trio in the finale as was his standard practice, since the soloist is limited here to mostly virtuosic passages.[1] The final phrase of the third movement contains an allusion to his Caprice No. 24.
