Walter Piston's Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra was written in 1939 and dedicated to violinist Ruth Posselt. [1] Posselt, backed by the National Orchestral Association under Léon Barzin, gave the first performance at Carnegie Hall on 18 March 1940. [2]
Amongst the audience was composer Benjamin Britten, who is quoted as telling Aaron Copland, "there was no composer in England of Piston’s age who could turn out anything so expert.” [1]
The work is in three movements:
1) Allegro energico 2) Andantino molto tranquillo 3) Allegro con spirito
A typical performance will last around 25 minutes.