Violin Concerto no. 9 in D minor, op. 55
Romantic Violin and Orchestra
In brief

This D minor concerto has a dramatic, melancholic character, alternating broad singing phrases with brisk figurations, favoring lyrical expression over sheer display. You will specifically face Tempo rubato (3.1/5), which here means subtly stretching and compressing the beat to breathe with long lines while staying aligned with the orchestra, and Nuances (2.5/5), requiring precise bow-pressure and speed control to shape dynamic contrasts within each phrase. The work belongs to the Romantic period and is listed with the given opus number (op. 55), being one of Spohr’s concertos that reflect his lyrical approach to the violin repertoire.

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Is this the right work?
MusicCoach difficulty
75/100
Advanced
Likely range : 63–87/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 8

Estimated from our difficulty score, not taken from an exam syllabus. Checked against 333 works on the ABRSM syllabus: the exact grade is right 7 times out of 10, and within one grade 99 times out of 100.

Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.

Where this work sits
050100

Most works cluster between 45 and 65: a small score gap often marks a real step. The highlighted bar shows this work among those for the same instrument.

The MusicCoach difficulty measures a work's overall demands (technique, reading, stamina) on a shared 0-100 scale, consolidated from editorial and pedagogical reference points (Henle, exam syllabuses, curation) and our own analyses. It measures neither musical value nor the practice time YOU will need: two musicians of the same level can experience the same work very differently depending on their strengths (hands used to octaves, quick sight-reading…). The confidence reflects how many reference points sit behind the score and how well they agree — a lightly documented score is flagged “to validate”. For a truly personal bearing, the diagnostic and your space compare each work to YOUR estimated level, which the score alone cannot do.

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Relative difficulty
81%
Among Louis Spohr
82%
Era Romantic
Genre
Estimated skills
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Ornaments
Romantic ornaments
1
What to play next?

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