Oskar Rieding Violin Concerto in B Minor
The Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op. 35, is one of the most popular works by Oskar Rieding. Rieding was a German violinist, composer and teacher of music. The concerto is written entirely in the first position, ranging from the open G to the B on the E string. Even with this limited range of musical territory, Rieding created an expressive piece of music. The concerto has three movements:
- I. Allegro moderato in B Minor
- II. Andante in G Major, with the middle section leaning towards G Minor
- III. Allegro moderato in B Minor
This concerto is often practiced by beginners and students in the early stages of violin learning. To me, it is such a lovely, challenging piece that gives a sense of accomplishment on my violin journey.
Notable performances
Even though it's considered a piece for students, there are several recordings from professional violinists. Most notably, Itzhak Perlman, one our the most celebrated violinists in our time, played this concerto with the Julliard Orchestra in his CD Concertos from My Childhood. This performace is, as expected, supreme. You can listen to his recording on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music
Another great recording is from Mikhail Gantvarg, a Russian professor and violinist. The recording is available on Apple Music
My practice
I started learning this concerto on Nov 5th, 2024. I'm breaking down how I've practiced all the movements of the concerto below
1st movement
The sheet music I've been using is similar to this one on Musescore. Since this movement is in B Minor, it helps a lot to start each practice session by practicing the melodic minor scale in B. Whenever I practice a scale, I always try to use the whole bow, starting with one note per bow and then gradually increasing to two or four notes per bow. As a beginner, I focus on listening carefully to the notes as I practice, so I can develop a better sense of intonation when playing the movement.
2nd movement
3rd movement
As Jan 2nd, 2025, I'm still learning this movement.