Symphony features works by Britten, Shostakovich

The Utah Symphony's concertmaster, Ralph Matson, will be this weekend's soloist with the Utah Symphony. And as he frequently has in the past, he'll be playing a work that has been unduly neglected by violinists.

Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto, from 1939, is a work that, like so many of his other compositions, is nearly unknown, even among musicians. And that surprises Matson. "It's very interesting, because I have never heard a performance of it, I've only heard of performances."

Matson suspects that one of the reasons the concerto hasn't found its way into the repertoire of more violinists is the demands it places on the soloist. "It's a big project because it is long and very difficult, and I think that is an issue with it."

It was also quickly overshadowed in popularity by Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, written around the same time as Britten's, and the two concertos that Dmitri Shostakovich wrote in the 1940s and '50s. "Those works caught the attention of violinists and audiences at the expense of Britten's concerto," Matson said.

Yet that doesn't hide the fact that Britten's Violin Concerto is one of the great works to come out of the early 20th century. "He is a great composer, and this is a terrific work."

But no matter how much Matson praises the work, he can't deny that the solo part doesn't feel natural for the violin. "Violinistically, it's pretty craggy.

"When you think of the great concertos, you think of how beautifully conceived they are for the violin. But you can't say that about the Britten. He didn't have a real comfort level with the violin, and that's the problem with the piece."

It was music director Keith Lockhart, who will also conduct the concerts this weekend, who suggested the Britten to Matson. "This is a season when we're looking back on Keith Lockhart's tenure here, and our collaboration in presenting some really interesting works."

Past seasons have had Matson play concertos by Louis Spohr, Henri Dutilleux and Kurt Weill. "He has really been quite adventurous in putting forward these suggestions," Matson said. "It's made our collaborations quite interesting for us."

Presumably, this weekend's performances of the Britten will be its Utah premiere. "I haven't heard that it's been done here before, so I am assuming this will be the first time."