Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2

“The events of September 11th deeply affected me. I had been living in New York for over 10 years and become a passionate New Yorker. I love this great city which can mirror everyone who is not afraid of seeing his own reflection. I began writing my second violin concerto on Sept 12th. Everything else had to wait. Ever since I was a child I knew that the only way to deal with pain is by transforming it into a work of art – into music – thus elevating from the destructive forces that can be attached to painful experiences. Like the Phoenix, who dies in order to be born, this piece was born from death. All the different emotions I experienced at that time, from shock to sorrow, from mourning to hope, from anger to despair, from reminiscence to questioning, are embodied into its material. This one-movement concerto became a way for me, as an American composer, to be able to cope with the events that scarred our hearts forever. I would like to thank the Ensemble Kanazawa for premiering this concerto in 2004, and Silvia Marcovici and Nicolai Alexeiev for bringing it alive for you this evening.”
(Lera Auerbach)