Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky's tempestuous and profoundly moving violin concerto is one heckuva notorious piece, tackled successfully only by truly gifted performers. The composer wrote it in 1878, during his recovery after the collapse of his disastrous marriage to one of his pupils. He dedicated it to Leopold Auer, who was honored by that gesture, and who decided that the composition was unsuitable for the violin, wanting to make some changes to it, but never did. Tchaikovsky removed the dedication and the work earned the reputation of being "unplayable." The young violinist, Alfred Brodsky, finally premiered it with the Vienna Philharmonic on December 14, 1881, during which it received more harsh words than an enthusiastic welcome from the critics (as is common with many premieres of virtuosic compositions), with the most famous description of it stating that

"The violin is no longer played, but torn apart, pounded black and blue...."*

Well, today this work is among the most beloved, if still one of the most challenging, showpieces in the violin repertoire.