Balys Dvarionas: a brief history, analysis of his concerto for horn and orchestra, and the first recording of the concerto
ENThis document will concentrate on the currently unpublished and incomplete manuscript of the orchestral version of Concerto for Horn and Orchestra [Koncertas valtornei su orkestru], composed by Lithuanian composer Balys Dvarionas (1904– 1972). Despite his popularity and importance in Lithuania, Dvarionas’s music is not as well known throughout the rest of the world. This document aims to redress this situation. The document provides a more thorough English-language biography about the composer than those that currently exist in print. It discusses various aspects of the concerto, including its place in Dvarionis’s output and a brief analysis, a core aspect of which is the identification of Lithuanian folk tunes used by Dvarionas (one of the composer’s signature methods). I also provide a pedagogical overview of the work’s difficulties. In addition, a recording of the concerto with orchestra, made in the UNLV recording studio, accompanies this DMA document. This is the first recording of this piece.
