Masterclass: Esther Yoo on Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto Third Movement

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I have loved to listen to and play this concerto since my childhood: it is so enchanting, and technically there is so much to work on. It’s very good for the development of any violinist: in the third movement alone, you have to play clean and musical shifts, double-stops, chords, fast passages, and many different bow techniques. You must also really learn to listen, both to yourself and to the orchestra or piano reduction, because there’s a continuous conversation between the two from beginning to end, sometimes in unison, sometimes one after the other. That energy pulls you through the entire movement without letting up. There are so many different ways to explore new ideas within this beautiful structure, to be truly artistic and creative.

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