Amongst Vieuxtemps’ seven violin concertos, the fifth in a minor is doubtlessly the best known and most popular by far. It was composed in 1860/61 as an obligatory examination piece for the violin class of his friend Hubert Léonard at the Brussels Conservatory, but then soon made its way into the concert hall. It owes its popularity not only to the brilliant violin part but also to the unusual form of the three movements that merge into one another without interruption. The violinist and musicol...