How does a gifted boy become a master? How does an entire era transform from the classical ideal to the romantic vision? Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's two violin concertos provide a compelling answer to these questions. Between the thirteen-year-old prodigy of 1822 and the mature master of 1844, not only does the development of an extraordinary composer unfold, but also the entire spectrum of Mendelssohn's aesthetics: a love of form combined with a willingness to innovate, a combination of technical perfection with emotional immediacy, a balance between tradition and progress.