Ludwig Violin Concerto

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David Ludwig’s Violin Concerto was written for violinist Bella Hristova and commissioned by a consortium of eight orchestras, including the Kansas City Symphony, the Louisville Orchestra, and Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Premiered in 2016 with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jaime Laredo, the concerto was composed around the time of Ludwig and Hristova’s wedding and is imbued with a sense of celebration and personal significance.

Structured in three movements, the concerto draws inspiration from the arc of a traditional wedding ceremony. The first movement, Dances, opens with a dramatic flourish and features a sequence of dances influenced by both Western and Eastern European traditions—including a nod to the Bulgarian Rachenitsa. The second movement, Ceremony, unfolds lyrically and includes a deeply personal touch: a quotation from a violin concerto written by Hristova’s late father, Yuriy Chichkov, which is seamlessly woven into the tapestry of the movement. The final movement, Festival, captures the energy and joyful chaos of a celebratory gathering, driven by vibrant rhythms and a Krivo Horo or “Crooked Dance” motif.

Blending structural elegance with emotional depth, the Violin Concerto reflects a shared cultural heritage and a spirit of connection—between composer and performer, music and memory, tradition and joy. Since its premiere it has been performed by nearly fifteen orchestras, and was recently recorded with the Buffalo Philharmonic and JoAnn Falletta.