For its fifteenth anniversary, Music@Menlo focused on an instrument whose evolution in the hands of master makers and composers constitutes one of music’s richest stories: the violin.
After the Cremonese master Antonio Stradivari perfected its design in the early eighteenth century, the violin had a newfound power to sing, dazzle, and entrance that enabled composers to realize their musical dreams. From the innovative composer-performers of the Baroque period, through the technical wizards of the Romantic era, to the pioneers of instrumental expression in the twentieth century, Music@Menlo’s 2017 season celebrated the synergies between immortal composers and the great violinists. Seven Concert Programs, augmented by an extraordinary series of five Carte Blanche Concerts, traced the evolution of violin playing and composition.
