James Matheson's Violin Concerto began life with the compound honor of being co-commissioned by the Chicago Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Concerto was premiered in the 2011-12 season by violinist Baird Dodge with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Chicago Symphony, followed by violinist Martin Chalifour with Pablo Heras-Casado and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Matheson cites inspiration from Bach's writing for violin, from the grand tradition of the concerto repertoire, and from the enticing modern ironies of M.C. Escher, all combined with Matheson's imagination for the sensibly unpredictable. Listen as Matheson describes his Violin Concerto in a YouTube essay. For advanced performers.