The Double Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra (H. 175; Op. 49) is a work by Gustav Holst in three movements played without a break. It was written in 1929 and first performed in 1930 by its dedicatees, the sisters Adila Fachiri and Jelly d'Arányi. Though now praised by many critics, it has never been frequently performed in the concert hall. It is characterized by fugal counterpoint, folk-like melody, and bitonality without dissonance.
Scoring
Apart from the soloists, the Double Concerto is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B♭, two bassoons, two horns, two horns in F, two trumpets in C, timpani and strings. The 2nd flute, 2nd oboe, 2nd bassoon, 2nd horn, 2nd trumpet and timpani are cued in.
Composition
On 21 September 1927 Holst heard the Bach Concerto for Two Violins performed at the Queen's Hall, the sisters Adila Fachiri and Jelly d'Arányi being the soloists. Though he had never been much tempted to produce solo concertos, he was now moved to consider a double violin concerto. Other commitments delayed this project for two years, but in August 1929 he began work, bringing it to a first completed sketch in September. In October he gave the manuscript to Fachiri and d'Arányi for their consideration. Early in 1930 he rehearsed it with them at their studio.
Significant performances
The Double Concerto was first performed by the dedicatees, Fachiri and d'Arányi, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Oskar Fried, at a Queen's Hall concert on 3 April 1930. Though the soloists were quite equal to the score's challenges, Fried's contribution was not well received; he was described in the press as "quite the least acceptable conductor heard at a London symphony orchestra concert for a long time". During the interval Holst was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society's rarely-bestowed Gold Medal.
It was, many years later, performed along with The Planets and The Hymn of Jesus at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's Holst Centenary concert in 1974.
Structure
The Double Concerto consists of three movements played without a break. The first movement, a Scherzo, opens with an ostinato rhythm played by cello and double bass, to which a first theme is added by clarinets, bassoons and violas. A fugue is then begun as the first violin soloist, the second soloist, viola and cello enter one by one. Their counterpoint turns into a bitonal passage for the two soloists, then to a return of the first subject. The movement ends with the second soloist returning to a thematic element given earlier by the first, and the first reprising the second soloist's theme from the bitonal passage. The second movement, a mostly bitonal Lament, comprises a melancholy theme in 5/4 reminiscent of late Shostakovich, played by the unaccompanied soloists. The orchestra with muted strings make a gradual entry, as if to soothe, but the melancholy mood continues to the end. This movement includes an extended passage taken from his earlier Terzetto for flute, oboe and viola. The third movement is called Variations on a Ground. The first violin establishes the rather bumpy ground, the second takes it up, then the second violin plays pizzicato while the first accompanies it, and finally the second accompanies the pizzicato first violin. In these fast-changing passages there are displays of cross-rhythm and bitonality in 5/4 and 7/4 time.