The history of Bohuslav Martinů's first violin concerto is complex. After settling in Paris in the early 1930s, Martinů received the commission for the work at the initiative of the violinist Samuel Dushkin and with the support of the publisher Willy Strecker. The collaboration with Dushkin presented an unfamiliar challenge for Martinů, yet he made rapid progress with the composition. However, planned performances were thwarted by the political turmoil in Germany at the time.
It wasn't until 1973, after the rediscovery of the score, that the concerto was performed for the first time in Chicago. The first movement reflects Dushkin's characteristic playing style, while the second movement is characterized by an expressive, lyrical theme. The final movement, which originally lacked the Allegretto marking, captivates with its virtuosity and the prominent role of the solo violin, again pointing to Dushkin's influence.
The second violin concerto, which Martinů wrote in just two months, represented a stylistic and personal development. It was composed after a pivotal meeting with Mischa Elman in New York, who commissioned the work. Unlike the first concerto, the second stands out significantly. It premiered in Boston in 1943, and a subsequent recording documented Elman's distinctive sound. After Elman's performance rights expired, violinists such as Isaac Stern and Josef Suk took up the work, which is particularly noteworthy for its personal character and adaptation to Elman's playing style.