Amidst all the turmoil of war in the years 1940 to 1943, Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari composed a violin concerto in the festive key of D major. The composer’s ability to distance himself artistically from what was happening in the world was often called “anachronistic” and described as “composing with blinkers on”.
No one knows what the composer was thinking and feeling at the time. An intense encounter with the great violinist Guila Bustabo was what inspired him to write this composition in a melodic, romantic tonal language untouched by the contemporary trends of modernity. The two artists were enchanted by each other and carried on a spiritual friendship, largely by correspondence. The composition is a declaration of love: “For Guila Bustabo in admiration” is written in the score, and her letters to him respond in kind.
