This work is my fourth concerto, preceded by concerti for flute (1973), bassoon (1975) and clarinet (1989). It is intended to be a true vehicle for the soloist; the orchestration is spare whenever the violin is present, and the forms are clear and well-defined. But unlike any of my previous works in this medium, this concerto aims at a lighthearted spirit that is not tart or jazzy. In brief, I aimed to write a work that would stand alongside the first concerto of Prokofiev, the Stravinksy concerto, or the G-major concerto of Mozart: ebullient, sometimes playful, and more charming than profound.

In choosing G major (both the first movement and the last movement end in this key) as a basic key-center, I was keenly aware of its "humoresque" quality, as exploited by Mahler in his Fourth Symphony, Dvorak in his Eighth (as well as in hisown Humoresque), Mozart in his "Papageno" music and G major Piano Concerto. My music is not diatonic – there is a twelve-note row that binds all three movements – but more often polytonal, with the G-major material being supported by a pentatonic set founded on F#.

The subtitles for the three movements gave me images from which to work. The first movement (excerpted here) is called "Games and Songs," the second is "March, Quickstep, and Duel," and the finale is "Lullabye and Tarantella." All are themes from childhood and youth, but they are not programmatic in any sense. There is no real cadenza, except for a link between the first and second movements in which the violin moves from the innocence of children's games into the slightly more serious world of playing soldier. The final movement has an air of nostalgia, of knowing that innocence is being lost forever, but with the playful spirit still intact.

The Concerto for Violin and Orchestra was commissioned by the Aspen Music Festival, in honor of Dorothy DeLay's 75th birthday. It is dedicated to my longtime friend and Chamber Symphony alumnus, Paul Kantor.

– Notes by Dan Welcher