Violinist Randall Goosby explores concertos by Price and Bruch

Randall Goosby with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin — Max Bruch & Florence Price Violin Concertos (Decca)

“This whole season, since January, I've been performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto,” violinist Randall Goosby says. “I actually hadn't performed it with an orchestra prior to that. It's been a fun exploration of the piece from the stage.”

He recently had a week off from touring and was out running errands in New York City. That’s what he was up to when he pulled over to the side of the road to talk about his new recording with Yannick Nezet-Seguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra, featuring violin concertos by Florence Price and Max Bruch.

How did this collaboration with Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra evolve?

“It was one of those things where I just couldn't say no to it. I had been wanting to continue my exploration of Price's music after my first album, Roots, came out, so I was thrilled at the invitation. I then spent all of last summer really diving into both the Price concerti.

“To make this recording with a conductor and an orchestra that have been dedicated and passionate champions of Price's story, not just her music, was really special. It was a privilege that I'll always look back upon with great gratitude.”

What about Price’s Violin Concerto No. 1 resonates with you? 

“One of the things that I think is very special about the Violin Concerto No. 1 is that it's modeled after the warhorse that is Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. It quickly becomes an example of what makes American music what it is, and that is the combining of influences from all over the place.

“The piece presented her with an opportunity to shed a new light on some of the themes that Tchaikovsky laid out. I mean, Tchaikovsky had to go through some great challenges of his own at the time. But there were challenges that he had to go through that Price probably couldn't relate to. And there were certainly challenges that Price experienced and had to overcome that Tchaikovsky could never have conveyed in his music. And so I think it presents a unique opportunity to look at these two very different artists under the same spotlight.”

Price’s Violin Concerto No. 2 is made up of a single movement. What are we learning about her in this piece?

“There's a lot of athletics; there's a lot of very quick moving notes and very fleeting harmonies that keep you on the edge of your seat — until suddenly it gives way to the richest, chocolatiest and soulful singing quality found in some of those andante sections that are laced in between the athleticism. In terms of the structure of the piece, she just changed things up and went against the grain.”

Why did you decide to pair these two works with Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1?

“I fell in love with the violin because of music like the violin concerti by Bruch, Mendelssohn and Brahms, not because of the Price concerti. But the Price concerti have injected new life to me in terms of having some sort of a guiding purpose behind a lot of my programing.”

To hear the rest of my conversation, click on the extended interview above, or download the extended podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

Resources

Randall Goosby — Max Bruch & Florence Price Violin Concertos (Amazon)

Randall Goosby — Max Bruch & Florence Price Violin Concertos (Decca)

Randall Goosby (official site)