# Violin concertos



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes

Any lovers here? I think violins are beautiful both in looks and practice, so it's only natural I'll love violin concertos.


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## Clouds Weep Snowflakes

And here is one violin concerto from a present-day composer:


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## Strange Magic

I am very fond of concertos in general, as they provide for all manner of interesting interactions between soloist and orchestra as well as opportunities for each to sing unaccompanied by the other. Plus many composers unveil their most stirring melodies in their concertos. I listened two recent evenings to the two Prokofiev violin concertos and was again struck--as I always am--by how beautiful both are.


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## Strange Magic

Here is a previous brief thread on the Hovhaness Violin Concerto No.2. Alas, it has been removed from YouTube since I originally started the thread, but the concerto, along with the definitive recording of Hovhaness' Piano Concerto No.1, _Lousadzak_, is available on Spotify. The Hovhaness violin concerto I find extraordinarily beautiful (as I do the piano concerto also) and I can recommend it without hesitation. 

At Last: Hovhaness Violin Concerto #2 on YouTube!


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## wkasimer

Strange Magic said:


> I am very fond of concertos in general, as they provide for all manner of interesting interactions between soloist and orchestra as well as opportunities for each to sing unaccompanied by the other. Plus many composers unveil their most stirring melodies in their concertos.


For virtually every one of my now-favorite composers, I found my way to him first via a concerto. The only exceptions I can think of are Haydn, who I found via one of of the op. 76 string quartets, and operatic composers who didn't write any.


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## Strange Magic

wkasimer said:


> For virtually every one of my now-favorite composers, I found my way to him first via a concerto. The only exceptions I can think of are Haydn, who I found via one of of the op. 76 string quartets, and operatic composers who didn't write any.


My experience is similar. And with more than a few composers, my favorite works of theirs are their concertos. I sometimes get the sense that many composers felt a pressure to write symphonies because that's what serious composers are expected to do--though this is internalized to such an extent that they churned out symphonies with full conviction; nobody held a gun to their heads. But I sense the concerto format, when indulged, allowed many composers to release their inner singing selves, their joy, their freedom to soar both musically and emotionally. Imagine if Dvořák or Sibelius or Tchaikovsky had felt moved, or self-permitted, to compose more violin concertos. I think of Myaskovsky and his dozens of symphonies, and of his fine 'cello concerto--what if?


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## MarkW

The great ons are really great, but there are whole bunch of lesser ones that are little mioe than just random sounding noodling.


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## Art Rock

My "keeper dozen":

Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Concerto in D major [1806]
Felix Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in E minor [1844]
Max Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor [1866]
Johannes Brahms - Violin Concerto in D major [1878]
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D major [1878]
Antonín Dvořák - Violin Concerto in A minor [1879]
Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto in D minor [1904]
Alban Berg - Violin concerto "To the memory of an angel" [1935]
Arnold Bax - Violin Concerto [1938]
Ernest John Moeran - Violin Concerto [1942]
Dmitri Shostakovich - Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor [1948]
Dmitri Shostakovich - Violin Concerto No. 2 in Cis minor [1967]


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## Strange Magic

MarkW said:


> The great ons are really great, but there are whole bunch of lesser ones that are little mioe than just random sounding noodling.


Alas, this is true of every form.


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## CnC Bartok

MarkW said:


> The great ons are really great, but there are whole bunch of lesser ones that are little mioe than just random sounding noodling.


Indeed, true. However, some of my favourites sounded like that to me at first, but obviously were worth persevering with. And unfortunately I still feel the same about the ones first mentioned by our OP here. Paganini is one great snorefest as far as I am concerned. Sorry, hope I'm not going to put him off!!

My favourites are:

Top five: ( in no particular order)
Beethoven
Bartok 2
Sibelius
Shostakovich 1
Stravinsky

Best of the rest (no particular order either!)
Dvorak
Glazunov
Berg
Bach
Rontgen A minor
Hindemith
Frankel
Prokofiev 1
Brahms
Lalo symphonie espagnole


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## bharbeke

These are my all-stars of the genre:

Beethoven
Mendelssohn
Mozart 1, 2, 5
Tchaikovsky
Vieuxtemps 5
Brahms
Bruch 1
Saint-Saens 3
Glazunov
Korngold


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## wkasimer

Whatsamatta with Elgar's Violin Concerto?


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## CnC Bartok

wkasimer said:


> Whatsamatta with Elgar's Violin Concerto?


Quote Originally Posted by MarkW View Post
The great ons are really great, but there are whole bunch of lesser ones that are little mioe than just random sounding noodling.

Sorry.


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## wkasimer

CnC Bartok said:


> Quote Originally Posted by MarkW View Post
> The great ons are really great, but there are whole bunch of lesser ones that are little mioe than just random sounding noodling.
> 
> Sorry.


You needn't apologize for being wrong.:devil:


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## Bulldog

The Violin Concertos I enjoy most:

Shostakovich 1 and 2
Sibelius
Myaskovsky
Weinberg
Dvorak 
Walton
Mozart 3 and 5


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## CnC Bartok

wkasimer said:


> You needn't apologize for being wrong.:devil:


It's just never grabbed my attention. Be proud to be at least the dozenth individual to point out the error of my ways! :tiphat:


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## Merl

I like Korngold's Violin Concerto too. Just saying.


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## Roger Knox

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## Roger Knox

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## tdc

My top 5:
J.S. Bach - Double Violin Concerto BWV 1043
J.S. Bach - Violin Concerto No. 2 BWV 1042
J.S. Bach - Violin Concerto No. 1 BWV 1041
Vivaldi - Four Seasons
Bartok - Violin Concerto No. 2

http://allofbach.com/en/bwv/bwv-1043/


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## Schoenberg

A good starter to the genre would be the four German violin concertos. (There are of course many more by now):
--The Bruch Concerto (No. 1)
--The Brahms
--Beethoven
--Mendelssohn

And of course I must be obliged to recommend to you the Schoenberg Violin Concerto.


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## flamencosketches

I just listened to a handful of Bach's Violin concerti yesterday, and they were great. I especially loved the slow movements of all of them. These were the D minor (for two violins; this one was my favorite), A minor, and E major. 

Vivaldi is great in these; you can't really go wrong with any, and he has hundreds. The Four Seasons I guess would be a good place to start, with the right recording. I've heard it butchered many times. 

Outside of those, I like the Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Mozart's 3rd and 5th, and it looks like I have Elgar, Brahms, and Schoenberg in my library, but I can't say any of those made any impression on me so far.


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## Strange Magic

My favorites include:

Beethoven
Mendelssohn
Brahms 
Dvořák
Tchaikovsky
Bruch 1
Sibelius
Prokofiev 1 and 2
Hovhaness 2

It's been a while since I listened carefully to some others' violin concerto favorites including Bach, Mozart, Saint-Saens, Bartok, Shostakovich, and several others mentioned, so this has been a useful thread and will spur my renewed interest.


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## Guest

If you truly love the violin concerto, the Hyperion label has been putting out a series of recordings of Romantic Violin Concertos of lesser known works from the Romantic period. They also did the same for cello concertos and piano concertos. Many of them are not very remarkable, but there are some that are hidden gems. Stanford's Concerto in D Major is one of the standouts, I believe.

Beyond that, the standard repertoire is very good:
Bach
Beethoven
Mendelssohn
Sibelius
Brahms
Tchaikovsky
Glazunov
Prokofiev
Bruch
Vivaldi


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## Clouds Weep Snowflakes




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## Brahmsian Colors

Favorite: Brahms

Others in no necessary order:
Mozart #3, #4
Mendelssohn
Schumann
Saint-Saens #3
Sibelius
Glazunov
Prokofiev #2
Moeran


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## sonance

Strange. I would have thought that a thread like this would last longer. - Anyway: Here are some more violin concertos.

Whether great or not so great: They are definitely worth a listen (and many more listens ...).

Benjamin Britten (performer: Frank Peter Zimmermann)





Unsuk Chin (performer: Viviane Hagner)





Henri Dutilleux: L'arbre des songes (performer: Renaud Capuçon)





Karl Amadeus Hartmann: Concerto funèbre (performer: Sebastian Bohren)





Peteris Vasks: Distant Light (performer: Anthony Marwood)





@Clouds Weep Snowflakes - Would some more violin concertos be welcome?


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## mikeh375

love that selection sonance..


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## starthrower

I've always liked Kurt Weill's concerto for violin and wind ensemble. Norgard's Helle Nacht, and Ligeti. The latter two paired on an excellent Chandos CD. And another thumbs up for Dutilleux, and Britten.


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## Bwv 1080

Probably one of my least favorite genres for classical or romantic period music

Bach (E major)
Bartok 2
Dutilleux 
Carter
Lutoslawski (Chain 2)
Ferneyhough (Terrain)


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## Guest

Bach E major is also a favorite of mine. Also recently enjoyed the Weinberg Concertino.


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## premont

Roger Knox said:


> ....................................................................................................................................


Thanks for the information, You have got some good points there.


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## sonance

mikeh375 and Starthrower - thanks a lot for the feedback. I'd like to dedicate the two following posts to you. (I've prepared more posts with violin concertos, but don't want to "hijack" this thread ...)

Peter Eötvös: DoReMi (performer: Patricia Kopatchinskaya)





Sofia Gubaidulina: In Tempus Praesens (performer: Anne-Sophie Mutter)





Boris Blacher (performer: Kolja Blacher)





Boris Tishchenko, VC no. 1 (performer: Viktor Libermann), movement 1




movements 2 and 3:





Edouard Lalo: Concerto russe (performer: Elina Buksha), movement 1




movements 2 - 4:


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## sonance

Ernest Bloch (performer: Mathias Wollong), movement 1




movements 2 and 3:









Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (performer: Pamela Frank)





Bohuslav Martinu: VC no. 2 (performer: Josef Suk)





Edith Canat de Chizy: Exultet (performer: Laurent Korcia)





Michael Daugherty: Fire & Blood (performer: Anna Skalova), movement 1




movements 2 and 3:


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## Xaltotun

Violin concertoes are where the sound of the violin becomes most heroic, I think.
My favourites:

Schumann (the real one, posthumous)
Beethoven
Sibelius
Brahms
Dvorak


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## Roger Knox

premont said:


> Thanks for the information, You have got some good points there.


Yes and the whole is in ternary form, with a compact final section.


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## flamencosketches

Xaltotun said:


> Violin concertoes are where the sound of the violin becomes most heroic, I think.
> My favourites:
> 
> Schumann (the real one, posthumous)


"Real"? Want to explain that to a Schumann neophyte?

My favorite VC is Alban Berg's. Some other great ones are Schoenberg, Sibelius, Bach (A minor), and Mendelssohn.


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## Littlephrase

flamencosketches said:


> "Real"? Want to explain that to a Schumann neophyte?
> 
> My favorite VC is Alban Berg's. Some other great ones are Schoenberg, Sibelius, Bach (A minor), and Mendelssohn.


There is a violin version of Schumann's Cello Concerto.


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## Roger Knox

Roentgen No. 1 in A Minor - dramatic, lots of flair
Goldmark - especially as played by Nathan Milstein 
Szymanowski No. 1 - magical
Reznicek Concerto in E Minor (NOT the Konzertstuck) - should be better known


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## David Phillips

wkasimer said:


> Whatsamatta with Elgar's Violin Concerto?


Absolutely nothing. A great masterpiece.


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## Open Book

flamencosketches said:


> I just listened to a handful of Bach's Violin concerti yesterday, and they were great. I especially loved the slow movements of all of them. These were the D minor (for two violins; this one was my favorite), A minor, and E major.
> 
> Vivaldi is great in these; you can't really go wrong with any, and he has hundreds. The Four Seasons I guess would be a good place to start, with the right recording. I've heard it butchered many times.
> 
> Outside of those, I like the Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Mozart's 3rd and 5th, and it looks like I have Elgar, Brahms, and Schoenberg in my library, but I can't say any of those made any impression on me so far.


Vivaldi wrote a ton of great violin concerti. Can anyone think of any more baroque sources?

The virtuoso aspect of later violin concerti can be turnoff. I don't know why I enjoy watching a pianist's fingers go all over the keyboard in a really difficult piece but I find the same kind of thing annoying in a violinist. Maybe I have a dislike of the ridiculously high squeaky notes that are produced by the violin in things like the Paganini concerto.


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## Roger Knox

CnC Bartok said:


> My favourites are:
> 
> Top five: ( in no particular order)
> Beethoven
> Bartok 2
> Sibelius
> Shostakovich 1
> Stravinsky
> 
> Best of the rest (no particular order either!)
> Dvorak
> Glazunov
> Berg
> Bach
> Rontgen A minor
> Hindemith
> Frankel
> Prokofiev 1
> Brahms
> Lalo symphonie espagnole


Nice to see Roentgen's No. 1 in A Minor included!


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## CnC Bartok

Roger Knox said:


> Nice to see Roentgen's No. 1 in A Minor included!


That's simply because it's bloody good stuff!!!!


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## starthrower

Favorites:
Sibelius
Ligeti
Bruch
Dutilleux
Schoenberg
Berg
Norgard Helle Nacht
Gubaidulina Offertorium
Szymanowski no.1
Britten
Shosty no.1
Bacewicz no.7


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## flamencosketches

Elliott Carter wrote a pretty good one. Kind of a challenging work.


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## Olias

I would like to put forth Jennifer Higdon's violin Concerto as one of the greatest composed in the genre in recent years. It was written for and recorded by Hilary Hahn but it has been taken up by other soloists and is working its way into the regular repertoire. It is both modern and gorgeous, and I would encourage anyone who hasn't heard it to listen to a performance or recording.


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## Fabulin

This one is amazing:


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## mikeh375

Fabulin said:


> This one is amazing:


...listening to this now. 1'30" into it and I can already hear why you like it Fabulin.......me too. Sounds really good so far.
edit...yes a nice enjoyable listen.


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## Geoff48

The trouble with nominating favourite violin concertos is life that there are so many. If limited to five I’d have to include the Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky which I have known since shellac days and which I still love. Then the Brahms although it took me far longer to appreciate it. And the Sibelius can be really beautiful particularly when played with heart by a Russian, I don’t think David Oistrakh can be beaten in this as in so much else. As to the fifth choice I’ll pass on the Beethoven, Bruch and Dvorak much as I enjoy listening to them. Also Bach and Mozart. In fact I’ll do for a little known concerto, the E minor by Nardini. It’s probably an adaption from some chamber music. But the first movement in particular is really beautiful. There are versions by Elman and Szeryng amongst others on Spotify which emphasise the romantic aspect of the music, there are also more authentic sounding versions. It’s probably a little like the Albinoni adagio, as a non authentic work it comes across better if approached from an over the top twentieth century style.


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## Fabulin

mikeh375 said:


> ...listening to this now. 1'30" into it and I can already hear why you like it Fabulin.......me too. Sounds really good so far.
> edit...yes a nice enjoyable listen.


Believe it or not, you have contributed to my discovery of this piece 

I've been listening to some Staatskapelle Dresden recordings and started wondering what Williams pieces would work best with that ensemble. One of the concert works that sprang to mind was the Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra that you have recently mentioned. So... out of curioisty I started googling for some discussions about or reviews of that piece, and right there someone recommended this VC.

It's certainly to my liking because of the Hollywood KornGolden Age sound, but to be fair there are many works in that style that I consider forgettable. One either needs additional stylistic ingredients, or being Korngold himself at his best.

I was positively surprised by the ability of the composer of this VC to keep me interested for 26 minutes.


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## mparta

Lots of works, lots I don't know. A form in which I have a few pieces that i like much (Bartok, Berg, Beethoven, Scheherezade) but...

For something a bit different that I haven't seen referenced, a work by a composer of songs and operas that are a bit expressionistic and sometimes a little bitter,

This violin concerto which is beautiful and something I much like.


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## ronbluewater

Like most, I have a list of favorites each performed by a different violinist, for exp: Bruch's concerto number One by Anne Sophie Mutter. IMO.. anything you enjoy immensely the first time you listen to it will become your favorite usually no matter who is performing the piece.


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## Rogerx

ronbluewater said:


> Like most, I have a list of favorites each performed by a different violinist, for exp: Bruch's concerto number One by Anne Sophie Mutter. IMO.. anything you enjoy immensely the first time you listen to it will become your favorite usually no matter who is performing the piece.


Good one you, welcome to Talk Classical .


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## Pat Fairlea

Come on, folks. Surely I'm not the only one who loves Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto?


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## MarkW

Since no one has mentioned it yet, I will: Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante -- which is really a double concerto for violin and viola.

Then I might as well add Brahms' Double Concerto, which I know a lot of people don't like.


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## Janspe

Pat Fairlea said:


> Come on, folks. Surely I'm not the only one who loves Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto?


Definitely not - I think it's one of the most gorgeous pieces written for the instrument! And the 2nd movemet is so heart-wrenchingly beautiful.


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## mikeh375

Janspe said:


> Definitely not - I think it's one of the most gorgeous pieces written for the instrument! And the 2nd movemet is so heart-wrenchingly beautiful.


I actually listened to it today...love it.


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## Eclectic Al

Prokofiev 1? Not 2 so much.


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## Animal the Drummer

mikeh375 said:


> I actually listened to it today...love it.


So do I. As an aside, anyone who doesn't yet know his Cello Sonata has a treat in store.


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## Pat Fairlea

mikeh375 said:


> I actually listened to it today...love it.


Delighted to hear it!


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## Enthalpy

It may not be my favourite, but very nice and horribly under-rated:
*Kabalevsky violin concerto N°1*​
Being easy to play, this concerto is usually massacred by pupils. Few great violinists have recorded it, here David Oistrakh. To my taste, he exaggerated the tempi. I also have the impression that he spent little time deciding the interpretation, as if he were not so much interested.

I believe *this concerto still awaits a violinist with refined interpretation* to create the work for good - it were about time. Karin Hendel?

And just for fun: the concerto is dedicated to the youth of the Soviet Union, so when choosing a free piece that would fit me for the violin competition in Usti nad Orlici, in then communist Czechoslovakia, my professor who had emigrated from Hungary to the West meant this concerto would please the jury. Disappointment in Usti: over 20 competitors had prepared this very concerto because the dedication would please the jury.


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## elgar's ghost

I like listening to the old OTT slobbering romantic concertos but I'm grateful that Stravinsky's concerto will be on my listening list this week - I love its cleanliness and economy. That and the one by Hindemith were the first ones from the 20th century I really took to.


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## PWoolfson

Has the Kachaturian had a mention?
I love this performance of it


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