# Your favorite concerto



## pileofsticks (Mar 25, 2014)

Just curious, what's everyone's favorite concerto or piece for soloist and orchestra?

My top three are:

1) Weber's bassoon concerto
I'm going to enter with this one into a competition coming up soon. It's my type because it's cheerful, quick, lively, and very dramatic at some points and written in a very Romantic style.






2) Mendelssohn's famous violin concerto (first and third movements)
This piece gets to my heart because the opening motif is very brilliant, very dramatic, very fierce yet sad.... and at the end it gets quite lively. I love it.






3) Czardas (for violin)
This isn't really a concerto, but it's honestly one of the most beautiful violin pieces I've ever listened to. It slow and romantic, and then goes to fast and jiffy.


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

Always changing but today I'd say:

1. Beethoven Piano Concerto 4 - The opening chords alone make me love this piece. I'll be seeing it live in a few weeks.

2. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 3 - Took me a while to warm up to this behemoth but I finally did and adore it now. 

3. Dvorak Cello Concerto - Need to give this one another listen soon. It's been a long while but I would definitely say it's one of the best pieces that exist, not just concertos.


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

Again, I have too many favorites to mention.

Usually, I'd reply with something by Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, or Ravel, but the other day I listened to an old favorite that I had neglected for a while that deserves a nod. Liszt's second piano concerto (which I've always thought was much better than the show-offy first). Inspired by Litolff's "Symphonic Concertos", this work is more like a set of variations, intertwined to be one of those four-movement-in-one pieces Liszt loved to write. It has some great orchestra writing, and it's one of those concertos where the piano and the orchestra work together rather than letting the soloist take over (which is my favorite kind of concerto), which you wouldn't expect from Mr. Rock Star over here. It has it's powerful moments, delicate duos, beautiful softer breaths, fun marches, and the usual dazzling finale that's exactly what you'd ask for. I think it's one of Liszt's better works, definitely an underrated concerto.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Prokofiev's piano concerto #3 and Bartok's violin concerto #2 are my favorites.


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## OldFashionedGirl (Jul 21, 2013)

At the moment, my opinion probably will change in the future: Shostakovich cello concerto #1, Bach double violin concerto, Bartók piano concerto #2 and Sibelius violin concerto.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

All of Bach, Ravel and Bartok's Concertos are my favorites, also Schnittke's Concerto for Piano and Strings, and Gubaidulina's Viola Concerto.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

tdc said:


> All of Bach, Ravel and Bartok's Concertos are my favorites, also Schnittke's Concerto for Piano and Strings, and *Gubaidulina's Viola Concerto*.


I'm glad someone mentioned this piece, it's a really good one that not very many people mention. It might have a slow start for some people, but it really grows into something powerful. That's how a lot of Gubaidulina's works go anyway.

As for my favorite concertos, I'm not sure I can say for sure but I know that the concerto form, in my opinion, is the most susceptible to abuse resulting in insubstantial material. That being said, my favorite concertos are probably those by Bach and Mozart, followed concertos by Stravinsky, Schoenberg and Berg.

I haven't heard Ravel's piano concertos, I need to get on that. I also think Bartok's second piano concerto is quite good.


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## Sofronitsky (Jun 12, 2011)

Brahms' Second Piano Concerto is, for me (someone who hasn't divulged much time in listening to his symphonies), his best work.

Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 5 is very dear to my heart. It might not be the best piano concerto ever written, but the themes in it for some reason grab me as very sincere and authentic (ironic considering how weirdly forced some of the 'egyptian' bits sound) and I love it very much. 

Sibelius' Violin Concerto can become tiring after hearing it so much, but it is certainly my favorite of the violin repetoire.

Copland's Clarinet Concerto is incredibly beautiful and written in such an accessible language while still advancing forward the progress of music into the late 20th century. I think Copland wasted a lot of his talent not writing more of this type of serious music. He was very talented. I also love his Piano Concerto and Piano Sonata.

Lucky for me, there is still a lot of concerti that I have not heard (Mozart Piano Concerti, Bartok Piano Concerti, Most Cello Concerti, etc.) and I have the future to look forward to in which I can listen to more masterpieces


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Sofronitsky said:


> Brahms' Second Piano Concerto is, for me (someone who hasn't divulged much time in listening to his symphonies), his best work.


If not his absolute best, it's certainly close!


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## Sofronitsky (Jun 12, 2011)

KenOC said:


> If not his absolute best, it's certainly close!


I'm glad someone shares my opinion! Not only are the themes he chooses incredibly beautiful, but the way he develops them use the full breadth of his talent. I don't see how anyone can dismiss the Concerto form as soley a showcase for the soloist when great music like this exists.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Forced to choose a single one, at points in the past I'd have chosen: 
- Brahms' first piano concerto
- Bruch's first violin concerto

Up there near the top have been: 
- Dvorak's cello concerto 
- Mendelssohn's violin concerto 
- Shostakovich's 1st violin concerto
- Shostakovich's 1st cello concerto 
- Mozart's 20th piano concerto 
- Beethoven's 4th piano concerto
- Beethoven's 5th piano concerto 

And some concertos that I like more than most people seem to: 
- Lalo's cello concerto
- Lalo's Symphonie espagnole 
- Saint-Saens' 3rd violin concerto 
- Saint-Saen's 1st cello concerto
- Bach BWV 1060 particularly with an oboe 
- Hartmann's concerto funebre
- Enescu's Symphonie concertante 
- Boieldieu's harp concerto 
- Mozart's flute and harp concerto 
- Pierné's piano concerto 
- Busoni's piano concerto 
- Rosetti's concertos for horns, especially for 2 horns
- Martinu's double concerto 

And some that I like so much that I wouldn't want to fail to mention them: 
- Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto
- Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto 
- Grieg's piano concerto 
- Sauer's 1st piano concerto
- Scharwenka's 4th piano concerto 
- Sibelius' violin concerto 
- Vivaldi's the 4 Seasons 
- Bach's harpsichord concertos and Brandenburg concertos, and 1041, 1042, 1043
- Tchaikovsky's violin concerto 
- Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez 
- Liszt's piano concertos 
- Bartok's concerto for orchestra 
- Bartok's 2nd violin concerto 
- Prokofiev's 2nd violin concerto
- Berg's violin concerto 
- Mozart's Sinfonia concertante 
- Mozart's 5th violin concerto (yes, the Turkish one, and I am duly abashed)
- Mozart's 9th, 21st, 24th, and 25th piano concertos 

I think with all others - i.e. Brahms' and Beethoven's violin concertos, and many more - you can assume that I like them less than most people seem to. 

OK, that's all nice but right now my very favorite one is probably: 
- Elgar's cello concerto


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Any of the last ten of Mozart's piano concertos plus the double plus the clarinet concerto.
But there's a whole stack more I like as well.


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

My favorites:
1. Prokofiev: Piano Concerto #2
2. Beethoven: Piano Concerto #4
3. Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto #2
4. Brahms: Piano Concerto #2
5. Prokofiev: Violin Concerto #1
6. Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto #3
7. Beethoven: Piano Concerto #5
8. Ravel: Piano Concerto in G
9. Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra
10. Bach: Concerto in D for two violins, BWV 1043

A few others a bit off the beaten path:
Martinu: Double Concerto for 2 String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani
Martinu: Piano Concerto #4 ("Incantations")
Dutilleux: L’arbre des songes ("Tree of Dreams"): Concerto for Violin
Adams: Dharma at Big Sur 
Daugherty: Fire and Blood 
Unsuk Chin: Cello Concerto (not yet released, but a live version can be heard on YouTube) 
Rautavaara: Piano Concerto #3
Vivaldi: Concerto in G, RV 532 (for lute & mandolin)

Also try Szymanowski's Symphony #4 ("Sinfonie Concertante") -- officially, a symphony but in practice a piano concerto.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Schumann and mozart 20


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## southwood (Jul 25, 2012)

Beethoven "Emperor" Piano Concerto no.5.
Grieg Piano Concerto.
Bruch Violin Concerto.
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.
Sibelius Violin Concerto.
Dvorak Cello Concerto.
Elgar Cello Concerto.
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Hard to say, but for this moment I'll pick these as my top three:

Brahms Piano #2
Brahms Violin
Berg Violin


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Mozart - Clarinet
Mendelssohn - Violin
Moeran - Cello


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

J. S. Bach: Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 & 
A. Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in A Minor, RV 356 Op. 3 No 6

Sudden afterthought - plus Haydn's Trumpet Concerto. Mmmm!


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## Classical Saxophonist (Oct 11, 2013)

Difficult to choose, but here are mine:

1.) Glazunov's Concerto in Eb major for alto saxophone and string orchestra






2.) Larsson's Concerto for alto saxophone and string orchestra

Mvt 1:



Mvt 2:



Mvt 3:




3.) Ibert's Concertino da camera for alto saxophone and 11 instruments

I haven't heard John Adam's saxophone concerto yet, but I image it's good as well.


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

This very moment? Because it will change in the next moment:

de Falla - harpsichord

Medtner - piano

Koechlin - bassoon

Hovhaness - cello

Allwyn - harp

Sibelius - violin

Mozart - clarinet

Gliere - coloratura soprano


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## omega (Mar 13, 2014)

Let's take one concerto per instrument:

PIANO : Prokofiev #2 or Rachmaninov #3. Or maybe Beethoven...
VIOLIN : Officially described as a symphony, Lalo's _Spanish Symphony_ is very close to a concerto. But I don't forget Beethoven's and Mendelssohn's
OBOE : Richard Strauss
FLUTE : Nielsen or Vivaldi's _La Notte_. And also Mozart's concerto for flute and harp
CELLO : E. Bloch, _Shelomo_ (I know, this one is not a real concerto...  )


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

omega said:


> Let's take one concerto per instrument:
> 
> PIANO : Prokofiev #2 or Rachmaninov #3. Or maybe Beethoven...
> VIOLIN : Officially described as a symphony, Lalo's _Spanish Symphony_ is very close to a concerto. But I don't forget Beethoven's and Mendelssohn's
> ...


Bloch! Good choice! Shelomo is great, I love Baal Shem as well.


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

I love many concertos.

When I read this thread, I asked myself which concerto would come 
first to my mind.

I was not surprised that Brahms concerto no 2 emerged into light.

Brahms concerto no 2

unbelievable talent, an exquisite combination of lyricism and intellect in a unique work.

challenging music, brilliance at its best,

and this delicate finale that brings joy to my ears...


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I used to love Brahms 2, but it hasn't appealed to me lately.

My concerto preferences at this point in time were all composed in the 20th century.


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

Its always in my mind


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

clara s said:


> Its always in my mind


Have you heard the Sibelius Violin Concerto?


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Have you heard the Sibelius Violin Concerto?


now you went to an other great concerto

veeeeery cool

there are two distinct performances that I like much

Leonidas Kavakos and Maxim Vengerov


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

clara s said:


> now you went to an other great concerto
> 
> veeeeery cool
> 
> ...


Nice! Mutter is good too. Also Heifetz.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

At number 1 Mozart Piano Concerto 23 and unlikely to lose top spot any time soon/ever
After that 
2 Brahms Violin Concerto
3 Beethoven Emperor Concerto
But then I can't have Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto or Elgar so it ain't easy


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## Whistler Fred (Feb 6, 2014)

So many choices...but these are among many that I like:

Bach: Double Concerto in D Minor and Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in Bb Major "La Notte"
Mozart: Piano Concerto Nos. 9 and 21
Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto No. 4
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Grieg: Piano Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Nielsen: Flute Concerto
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2
Rodrigo: Fantasía para un gentilhombre
Corigliano: Clarinet Concerto

And I'll stop here.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

These are some concertos that have 'stuck' with me:


Bach - Oboe Concerto, BWV 1053

Beethoven - Violin Concerto, Op. 61, Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73

Delius - Cello Concerto

Sibelius - Violin Concerto

Ravel - Piano Concerto in G

Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 3, Violin Concerto No. 2

Hindemith - Violin Concerto

And may I also be allowed - Richard Strauss - Don Quixote, which although a tone poem, is a concertante work for orchestra and solo cello.


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

Some favourites that I always cherish ...

Piano concertos

Beethoven 2 - 4
Tchaikovsky 1- 2, Concert Fantasy
Rachmaninov 3
Shostakovitch 2
Mozart 9, 20, 23 - 27

Violin concertos

Mendelssohn
Sibelius
Tchaikovsky
Prokofiev 2


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Sofronitsky said:


> I'm glad someone shares my opinion! Not only are the themes he chooses incredibly beautiful, but the way he develops them use the full breadth of his talent. *I don't see how anyone can dismiss the Concerto form as soley a showcase for the soloist when great music like this exists.*


I don't know if this was prompted by what I said or not, but I want to make clear that I didn't mean to dismiss the concerto form, I just think it's one of the more susceptible forms to abuse. Obviously the best of the best composers will (usually) not fall into that trap.


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## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

The concerto form has always been the easiest one for me to understand - apart from solo piano music, which is closest to my heart.

To choose a favourite seems like an impossible task for me! So many great ones to choose from. I just listened to the five piano concertos by Prokofiev, so I guess they deserve a mention. Absolutely essential pieces! Also, the Berg violin concerto has gotten a fair share of my attention recently.

But of course there are the concertos by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Mozart, Brahms, Ravel, Liszt, Schoenberg, Shostakovich ... and many more.

Maybe I should mention a few works that are usually held in high respect but which I don't love very much - the Mendelssohn E minor violin concerto and the Bruch first violin concerto, for example. It's not that I don't recognise the greatness of these works - I just don't think very much of them. I guess this makes me a heretic of sorts, but I hope that in time I'll learn to appreciate these works more.


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## Levanda (Feb 3, 2014)

I am surprise why I don';t have favourites concertos, I am enjoying any classical or operatic music.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Emperor and the Schumann piano concertos


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

*Many great movements*

View attachment 38248
To be honest it would be difficult to choose only one movement out of many.There are so many great movements in concertos you know.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto k622 is wonderful.


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