mainly referring to Stravinsky’s works in general and his violin concerto in particular. The concerto’s form is also linked to the composer’s trying to render his work an architectonic structure, relying directly on musical technique and abstaining from psychological or descriptive content. In nearly each of the interviews Stravinsky gave in those days he spoke of this principle: “My object is structure”, he said repeatedly as a motto. The concerto consists of four movements, maintaining a symmetrical form of two outer movements and two more contemplative core movements. The key to the work lies in a wide dissonant chord, which functions as a code or “password”, as Stravinsky referred to it, that opens each of the work’s movements as well as some inner parts within them. This chord and its use came to Stravinsky while sitting with Dushkin in a Paris restaurant. Dushkin became the composer’s close advisor regarding the violin’s technique and playing possibilities. When Stravinsky presented the violinist with that chord on a piece of paper, Dushkin was appalled and insisted that it was not playable on the violin. Stravinsky was saddened and said: “Quel dommage.” Only after the violinist returned home and tried to play this chord, it became clear that despite its strange form it is relatively easy to play and it even sounds fascinating. Dushkin immediately told the composer only to discover, after receiving the complete work, the importance of this chord’s role for the composer. The themes of the first movement, Toccata, are reminiscent of the Commedia dell'Arte figures and its spirit is energetic and brilliant with a slight touch of humor and irony. Stravinsky combines sonority and gestures of the Baroque style, such as melismas and scale runs, but uses his typical asymmetrical rhythms. The orchestration presents a kind of competition between the musical instruments in the manner of a concerto grosso, spiced up with modern sharp contrasts, distant registers and unique timbres. The movement, with its various episodes, sounds like multi-style music, but in fact it bears the stamp of modern music created on the basis of ancient principles. It opens with a sharp dissonance but ends, surprisingly, with a bright consonant chord. Both second and third Aria inner movements are contrasting to the external ones, but also to one another. The first Aria, like the Toccata, opens with a “password”. The main theme is presented lyrically by the solo violin. The middle part of this movement presents a few dramatic somber moments, but these dark shades dissipate toward the end and give way to the violin’s final word with a bright and fast passage. Aria II is the concerto’s slow movement. Its first bars leave the listener with uncertainty as to what is heard: on the one hand there is a strong sense of a Sarabande or an Adagio in Bach’s style, and on the other hand, a kind of thriller soundtrack. The movement is based mainly on a lyrical and warm melodic line of the violin hovering above a succession of slow chords. The strings, which until that point were scarce, play an important role here and give a glimpse into one of Stravinsky’s rare melancholic and warm moments. The final movement, Capriccio,
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