Composer Pascal Zavaro's New Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

The piece was world premiered by violinist Julia Fisher, conductor Cristian Măcelaru, and the Orchestre National de France at the Radio France Auditorium in Paris on February 21, 2021

Dedicated to violinist Julia Fischer, the concerto was commissioned by Radio France.

"The piece has been written under the impression of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s paintings," Pascal Zavaro told the Julia Fisher Club.

"In the middle of the ’80s, he appeared like a comet in the sky of New York’s contemporary arts. He died early by an overdose at the age of 28 but is still considered a great master and inventor of a new style, close to graffiti and street art.

"In many of his works, one can distinguish a figure crowned or surrounded by a religious halo. But the painting itself is very violent, full of raging weals and colored splashes. This character appears in the four paintings I was inspired by, leading to the movements of the concerto: Fallen Angel, Saint, Acque Pericolose, Tar and Feathers.

"To express an equivalent of religious signs placed in the middle of chaos, a listener will discover several quotations of the ancient melody Dies Irae, used by composers of all times."

Zavaro previously composed a concerto for violin and choir, "Songs of Innocence."