# Favourite concerto?



## Daniel

What is you currently fav concerto? Myself it is Brahms 1 st piano concert and Beethoven 3 rd and 4th piano concerto.


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## baroque flute

Hmm... my favorite concertos. I won't get them in order of preference. Bach's Violin COncerto in E, Vivaldi's Violin COncerto in A minor, Lute COncerto in D, COncertos for 2 flutes, 2 trumpets, 2 mandolins, Piccolo Concerto, Bassoon Concerto in E minor. MOzart's Piano Concerto #21, Beethoven's 3rd and 5th Piano Concertos. Handel's Harp Concerto, and probably my favorite of them all is Handel's Concerti a due cori (Concertos for 2 horns)!!!


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## Daniel

> * Hmm... my favorite concertos. I won't get them in order of preference. Bach's Violin COncerto in E, Vivaldi's Violin COncerto in A minor, Lute COncerto in D, COncertos for 2 flutes, 2 trumpets, 2 mandolins, Piccolo Concerto, Bassoon Concerto in E minor. MOzart's Piano Concerto #21, Beethoven's 3rd and 5th Piano Concertos. Handel's Harp Concerto, and probably my favorite of them all is Handel's Concerti a due cori (Concertos for 2 horns)!!!*


The instruments Vivaldis uses are sometimes exotic, but he integrates them in his concerto style ingenious!! The Lute concert in D is really awesome. The Mozart concerto i am just working on  some passage are kinda tricky :lol:. I love this Händel harp concerto, too; there is so less harp concerto repertoire. You know the harp concerto by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf or anotherone by Wagenseil? Also nice. This horn concertos i don't have in ear now, must have a look on it.


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## baroque flute

I have heard part of the Dittersdorf concerto. It is not as nice as Handel, or Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto (another favorite), but it is kind of nice. There are way too few Harp Concertos around! (I might have to write one sometime. :lol


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## Daniel

Yes, write one, the good thing if you compose is: You don't have any problems with repertoire :lol:.


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## baroque flute

> _Originally posted by daniel_@Aug 7 2004, 07:45 PM
> *Yes, write one, the good thing if you compose is: You don't have any problems with repertoire :lol:.
> [snapback]1364[/snapback]​*


 LOL :lol:


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## Daniel

Update: Brahms 2nd and Elgar cello concerto.


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## Quaverion

I love the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, Paganini Concerto No. 1, the Saint-Saens Violin Concerto No. 3, and Butterfly Lovers Concerto.


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## James

Quaverion, what is the butterflys concerto? Never come across it


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## Harvey

A thread on that is right here. http://www.talkclassical.com/forum/showthread.php?t=304 I think the subject changed to something else though.


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## godzillaviolist

*Concerto*

My favorite concertos... there are so many! I love Vivaldi bassoon concertos. His music brings out the bassoon's character like nothing else. The Weber clarinet concerto does the same for that instrument. But... the Elgar 'cello concerto is still my favorite, if only for sentimental reasons.


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## godzillaviolist

*wait!*

I just remembered... the Vaughan Williams oboe concerto! Another wonderfull concerto. The best for oboe in my opinion.


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## violingal19

*J.S. Bach*

My favorite is J.S. Bach's Minuete 1 and 2. I performed 1 as a solo in my middle schools spring concert two weeks ago, and it was a big hit. I reccomend listening to Theme from Symphony # 5 if you want a haunting piece.


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## Poeme_elegiaque

*My fav*

My favourite is Prokofjev´s first violin concerto ( Specially with Maxim Vengerov and Rostropovich TELDEC)


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## val

Daniel


> What is you currently fav concerto?


Mozart's 17th and 19th piano concertos, Beethoven 4th piano concerto, Bartok 1st piano concerto, Elgar cello concerto and, above all, Mozart's clarinet concerto.


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## Sardine

Betraying my own instrument (violin), I think my favourite concerto EVER has to be Elgar's Cello Concerto... it's just so, so beautiful. I would gladly learn the cello just to be able to play that piece. My youth orchestra also did Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto last term which was fantastic. And then the violin concertos... Bruch, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Sibelius... there are so many!


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## Daniel

Yes, an often changing topic...The Elgar concerto is definatly on of the best ever. With such a tragic melancholy, so what is your favourite recording? The one with Jaqueline Du Prés, or something else?

Daniel


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## val

Daniel

Yes, Jaqueline du Pré, but with John Barbirolli.


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## godzillaviolist

*Concertos*

I just recently listened to a cello concerto I found rather interesting; it's called "elektra rising", by an African-canadian composer named Malcom Forsyth. It has some boring parts, but it has quite a few good parts too. Worth having a listen to.
It's rather hard tracking down viola concertos. I'll be listening to Schnittke's soon, I'll write here if it's any good. I'm really sorry Clarke never wrote a viola concerto, as her viola sonata and Morpheus ( both for viola and piano ) are simply some of the most stunning works ever written for viola.
godzilla

PS; Nice to see that people are posting here a little more regularly. This is my favorite classical forum but it's very slow.


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## karlhenning

Daniel said:


> What is you currently fav concerto? Myself it is Brahms 1 st piano concert and Beethoven 3 rd and 4th piano concerto.


*Wuorinen Third & Fourth Piano Concerti*

*Shostakovich First Violin Concerto*

*Nielsen Clarinet & Flute Concerti*


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## DavidW

Does Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra count?


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## Daniel

DavidW said:


> Does Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra count?


Any Concerto, sure .

@karlhenning: I never came into the mood for the Shostokovich, even if Oistrakh plays...


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## karlhenning

That's all right, *Daniel*; listen to the pieces which speak to you today ... maybe the *Shostakovich* will connect with you later.

There's a lot of great music out there, so you don't need to concern yourself with 'getting' it all, today.

Cheers,
~Karl

PS/ I should not take the liberty of calling *Wuorinen* a personal friend, but I did enjoy studying with him when I was at Buffalo.


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## DavidW

Ah Karl so not as much a personal friend and more of a personal dictator? For your own good of course.


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## karlhenning

Somebody hose *David *down!


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## Todd

Let’s see (yes, it’s a big list, and it’s filled with a lot of standards, but what can I say?):

Bartok – Yes
Beethoven – Piano Concertos
Mozart – Violin Concertos 4 & 5; Piano Concertos 14, 17, 19-27; Clarinet Concerto
Prokofiev – Piano Concertos 
Elliot Carter – Piano Concerto, Concerto for Orchestra, Clarinet Concerto
Erwin Schulhoff – Concerto for Piano and small orchestra
Schoenberg – Piano Concerto
Berg – Violin Concerto
Dvorak – Cello Concerto
DSCH – Cello Concertos, Piano Concertos
Szymanowski – Violin Concertos, Symphonia Concertante
Stravinsky – Violin Concerto
Brahms – Piano Concertos
Martinu – Fourth Piano Concerto
Sibelius – Violin Concerto
Schumann – Piano Concerto

No doubt I’ve left some off.


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## Edward Elgar

At the moment I like Schostacovichs' second piano concerto. Not just the famous second movement, but the first as well. When the horns come in it blows you away!


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## soul_syringe

*the RACH III definitely!*

Brahms Cello Concerto. Tschaikovsky Serenade. but the best? Rach III definitely!


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## Edward Elgar

People always say that Elgar's Cello concerto is the best cello concerto in existance. I disagree, I think Dvorak's is just slightly better. What do you think?


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## glezzery

Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto! Music from another world entirely! Try it on.


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## Edward Elgar

I've just heard my favourite Mozart piano concerto - anyone heard No. 20 in D minor? Glorious! Absolutely glorious!


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## Grunthos

Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, and his 3rd piano concerto.


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## Weltschmerz

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"

Especially the epicly beautiful middle movement, which has been featured in several films (including the assassination of richard nixon with sean penn)


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## R.Zhao

Vivaldi's Winter I guess...I didn't play many concerto's in my short lifetime!


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## Denis

Depending on my mood it could be the Brahms piano concertos, Beethoven's 4th piano concert, but maybe if I had to pick one, the one I listen to the most is possibly the Schumann piano concerto, not the greatest but a wonderful, wonderful work & witht he likes of Agerich playing possitively spell binding.
Denis


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## SchubertObsessive

This thread works as a recommendations section, too. Thanks! since I haven't heard too many concertos.

I heard Sibelius' violin concerto very recently. Highly moving work that unleashes the instrument in its rawness and its technical demand.


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## Oneiros

My current favourite is the Organ Concerto in G minor by Tomaso Albinoni.


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## Celloman

Right now, the concerto I'm really enjoying is the Barber violin concerto. It's absolutely gorgeous!
Also, I love the Sibelius and Mendelssohn violin concertos, the Schumann piano concerto, and both of the Elgar concertos.


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## linz

I prefer the old Concerto Grosso for its orchestral conversations as opposed to virtuosic show-off pieces. The most famous Concerto Grosso is "The Four Seasons" by Antonio Vivaldi. Arcangelo Corelli 12 concerto grossi op.6 is also very masterful aswell as Goerg Federick Handel's. Alfred Schnittke who died in 1998 of Heart Disease causing a terminal stroke also wrote in this form. His Concerto grosso no.1 and no.5 are very disturbing yet at times very impassionatly romantic with its sudden and unexpected climaxes i. e. (no.1)
(Kremer violinist DG label)


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## Topaz

Favourite concertos, and favourite recordings:

Piano: 

1. Beethoven "Emperor" (Emil Gilels/Leopold Ludwig)
2. Beethoven 4th (as above)
3. Schumann (Murray Perahia/Colin Davis)
4. Mozart 20 (Ashkenazy)
5. Brahms 2 (Richter/Chicago SO)

Violin/Cello

1. Beethoven (Perlman/ Giulini/ Philharmonia)
2. Mendelssohn (Heifetz/ Boston SO)
3. Brahms (Nathan Milstein/ Pittsburg SO)
4. Tchaikovsky (Vengerov/ Abbado/ BPO) 
5. Schumann Cello (Stephen Isserlis)

Other

1. Mozart Clarinet (Karl Leister/ Karajan)
2. Beethoven Triple (Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richter)
3. Mozart Horn Con 3 (Dennis Brain)
4. Brahms Double (Heifetz/ Reiner)
5. Bach Brandenburg 2 (Trevor Pinnock, The English Concert)

Topaz


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## CTBass

Tchaik/Sibelius/Barber/Mendelssohn/Shostakovich Violin Concertos
Shostakovich No 1/Dvorak/Saint Saens/Elgar Cello Concertos
Bottesini no 2/Larsson Bass Concertos
Tchaik Piano Concerto
Schoenberg Concerto for String Quartet


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## Saturnus

_Schnittke_ 'Monolouge' for viola (Bashmet)
_Bach_ A major English horn concerto (Abbhül)
_Hindemith_ violin concerto (Oistrakh)
_Gubaidulina_ bassoon concerto (Popolov)
_Unknown (attributed to Haydn)_ C major oboe concerto (Holliger)
_Bartók_ piano concerto no. 1 (Kovacevich)


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## riverbank

My favourite piano concertos are: 

Poulenc's Concerto For Two Pianos
also Poulenc's Piano Concerto
Gershwin's Piano Concerto
Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2

also a mention to Elgar's Cello Concerto.


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## sinfonia espansiva

Ravel : Piano concerto in G
Haydn : Cello concerto 2
Sibelius : Violin concerto
R.Strauss : Burleske
Concerto is not my favourite genre.


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## 4/4player

Since I play the Clarinet(I also play the violin, which im betraying right now), I'll have to say my favorite concerto is Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. One of the best clarinet pieces out there!


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## Asperjames

Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto, and Berg's violin concerto


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## Celloman

Here are a few of my favorites:

Sibelius Violin Concerto
Hindemith Horn Concerto
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
Dvorak Cello Concerto
Barber Violin Concerto


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## riverbank

Along with ones I already mentioned, others worth a mention are: 

Hindemith Violin Concerto (don't know his Horn concerto but would like to hear it)
Korngold Violin Concerto
Rodrigo Concierto Pastoral (for flute)
also the more famous Concierto de Aranjuez
Walton Violin Concerto + Cello Concerto
Szymanowski Violin Concertos aren't bad either


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## oisfetz

Some of my favorites:
Goldmark v.c.
Rakov first v.c.
Miaskovsky v.c.
Taktakishvili first v.c.
Kabalevsky cello concertos
Khatchaturian violin and cello c.
Lalo s.s. and Russian v.c.
Rodrigo v.and cello concertos
Karlowicz v.c.
Rachmaninoff third
Dvorak v.and second cello concertos
Mendelsshon violin c. D Minor


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## Edward Elgar

Asperjames said:


> Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto, and Berg's violin concerto


Berg! What gives man! What gives! I commend your Rachmaninov preference, but Berg! His music has no soul - it's just a load of notes bunged together.


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## Topaz

Edward Elgar said:


> Berg! What gives man! What gives! I commend your Rachmaninov preference, but Berg! His music has no soul - it's just a load of notes bunged together.


That's one of the funniest things I've ever seen: "_just a load of notes bunged together_". Priceless.

Topaz


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## riverbank

Well I bought the Berg violin concerto but soon gave it away .. didn't think too much of it either.


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## robert newman

Johann Sebastian Bach - Concerto for Keyboard and Strings BWV 1054 (amongst others by him).


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## Huge

Being a violinist, I am biased, but Shostakovich's 1st violin concerto is one of my absolute favourites


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## Lynx

Chopin's 1st and 2nd Piano Concertos, in that order
The Rach 3
CPE Bach, Cello Concerto in A Maj.


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## Kurkikohtaus

*Dvorak Cello Concerto* is my choice.

*Topaz*, I notice you list Schumann Cello in your favourite string concertos but not Dvorak?

A note about *Sibelius Violin Concerto*, I obviously like this piece but I rate the "other" 4 violin concertos (Beethoven Mendelssohn Brahms Tchaikovsky) as better concertos. Sibelius wrote the concerto in 1903 and immediately withdrew it for revision. The concerto we know is the 1905 version. I will be critical here and say that I feel that many parts of the first movement and the end of the third movement still bear the marks of a work in progress. Sibelius had absolutely no hesitation making revisions upon revisions upon revisions, I feel it is a shame that he didn't have another go at this piece.


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## Topaz

*Kurkikohtaus:* Indeed my favourite cello concerto is the Schumann. I find more to be admired in the Schumann work than Dvorak's. It has more depth, and importantly better consistency between movements. Its second movement is one that I find particularly nice among all cello works.

I agree that upon a first listen the Dvorak concerto might seem the better (it's melody is stronger), but after repeated listenings I find Schumann the more interesting work. For me the thing that lets the Dvorak concerto down a bit is its last movement which is all over the place in tempo, and seems to lose the plot compared with the first two movements. I have the Rostropovich version, so it's not some piece of junk. What do you and your cellists think?

I thought you might have asked why I didn't list the Elgar cello concerto. I've never liked it as it's too OTT for my tastes. To be honest, cello concertos would come a long way down my list of Top 20 concertos, as I greatly prefer piano, violin, clarinet works.

Topaz


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## Guest

Just curious, solo and chamber Music???. Does a concerto fall under this classification?


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## rojo

Good point, Andante. Maybe because there is a soloist?


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## Topaz

*Andante, Rojo and Admin: * I agree that these headings need some tidying up, with consequent transfer of threads. I think this whole section - "Music & Repertoire" - may need an overhaul, in order to make the sub-section titles clearer and mutually exclusive. What about the following replacements:

*CLASSICAL MUSIC DISCUSSION*

General discussion about classical music trends, composers, orchestras, controversies, etc.

*SOLO AND CHAMBER MUSIC*

For discussion of all varieties of solo and chamber music.

*ORCHESTRAL MUSIC*

Full orchestral works including symphonies and concertos.

*OPERA*

Forum for discussing operas and operettas, as well as opera singers and related topics.

*VOCAL MUSIC*

Forum for discussing all vocal music excluding opera. It includes choral works like masses, oratorios, lieder.

*NON-CLASSICAL MUSIC*

Any non-classical genre including rock, hip-hop, pop, metal, country, or any type of fusion music.​..............

This site is already vastly better than all others I have seen, where chaos generally rules. But the above, I think, will improve it. If people actually follow this layout, it should be easier to place new posts and to find things. Any other views?

Topaz


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## hlolli

1. Shostakovich 2nd piano concerto
2. Jon Leifs Organ concerto
3. Franz Liszt 2nd piano concerto
4. Busoni piano concerto in C op. 39
5. Schumann piano concert in a-minor


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## Frederik Magle

Andante said:


> Just curious, solo and chamber Music???. Does a concerto fall under this classification?


Well, apparently the solo and chamber music section was intended for the discussion of orchestral works involving a soloist as well, since Daniel placed the thread in here. In any case I agree that perhaps the sections could be "tidied" up a little more in order to make it easier to find out where to post.



Topaz said:


> *Andante, Rojo and Admin: * I agree that these headings need some tidying up, with consequent transfer of threads. I think this whole section - "Music & Repertoire" - may need an overhaul, in order to make the sub-section titles clearer and mutually exclusive. What about the following replacements:
> 
> *CLASSICAL MUSIC DISCUSSION*
> 
> General discussion about classical music trends, composers, orchestras, controversies, etc.
> 
> *SOLO AND CHAMBER MUSIC*
> 
> For discussion of all varieties of solo and chamber music.
> 
> *ORCHESTRAL MUSIC*
> 
> Full orchestral works including symphonies and concertos.
> 
> *OPERA*
> 
> Forum for discussing operas and operettas, as well as opera singers and related topics.
> 
> *VOCAL MUSIC*
> 
> Forum for discussing all vocal music excluding opera. It includes choral works like masses, oratorios, lieder.
> 
> *NON-CLASSICAL MUSIC*
> 
> Any non-classical genre including rock, hip-hop, pop, metal, country, or any type of fusion music.​..............
> 
> This site is already vastly better than all others I have seen, where chaos generally rules. But the above, I think, will improve it. If people actually follow this layout, it should be easier to place new posts and to find things. Any other views?
> 
> Topaz


Thanks. It seems like a good idea and I will take your suggestions into serious consideration.


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## Kurkikohtaus

If I may add another little suggestion, could there be a "Conductors" heading down with there with the "Composers"? Maybe there doesn't even need to be a new category, you could just edit the title of the "Composer" forum.

Thanx.


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## linz

The interesting thing about conduting is that, if you master a score, write as essay on your views, prehaps compile a midi of how you think it would be preformed best; You might be able to put your two cents in at a comparable level, in your own right. The things the internet makes capable is breathtaking! (Kaplan/Mahler/2nd) is a fine example of a focused passion!


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## Guest

Frederik, your suggestions make sense to me, I think a bit of fine tuning is only to be expected every now and then, so please keep up the good work. It is appreciated


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## Lisztfreak

1. Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto in B minor
2. Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor
3. Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D major
4. Liszt - Piano Concerto no.1 in A flat major (however, I haven't heard the no.2)
5. Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in E minor
6. Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor
7. Haydn - Trumpet Concerto in E flat major
8. Dvořák - Cello Concerto in I-don't-remember-which-key 
9. Schumann - Piano Concerto in A minor
10. Chopin - Piano Concerto no.1 in F minor


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## Kurkikohtaus

Lisztfreak said:


> 8. Dvořák - Cello Concerto in I-don't-remember-which-key


The cello concerto is in B minor.

When Dvorak was in America, upon seeing Niagara Falls for the first time he was taken aback and exclaimed, "_This will be a Symphony in B minor_". That Symphony was never written, but we do have the concerto...


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## ChamberNut

Oh boy, so many great concertos out there, and yet I've only sampled a handlful of composers! So many more to listen to.

Some of my favorites are in no particular order:

Beethoven - Violin Concerto (this one is my absolute favorite!)
Beethoven - All his piano concertos, including the Choral Fantasy.

Mozart - Several!

Brahms - All 4 of his concertos are top notch!

Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto

Bach - Brandenburgs

Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto, and Piano Concerto no. 1

Vivaldi - Several !

Chopin, Grieg, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concertos


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## MungoPark

*My favorite has to be ...*

Paganini's violin concerto no. 1. His concerto no. 2 is a close second.


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## Harmonie

I love Mozart's Concerti.

His Clarinet Concerto is probably my most favorite. (Especially the Adagio movement.) However I like his 23rd Piano Concerto as well. It's a really pretty piece.

Otherwise I like Weber's Bassoon Concerto in F Major. I have no idea why. I also love Vivaldi's concertos. Though I haven't heard to many.


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## Mark Harwood

1. Joaquin Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez.
2. Mario Castelnuevo-Tedesco: Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra no. 1.
3. Heitor Villa-Lobos: Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra.


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## World Violist

Bowen Viola Concerto and Elgar Cello Concerto.


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## jjfan

Definitely Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto, Tchaikovsky's 1st piano concerto, Mendelssohn's violin concerto in E minor, and Vivaldi's four seasons. =)


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## Gustav

Chopin's 1st piano concerto


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## oisfetz

Tchaikovsky's v.c. Never tired of listen to it.


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## beethoven_fan92

GRIEG`S PIANO CONCERTO IN A MINOR!!!!!    
The first and last movements are just REALLY  !!
And Beethovens piano concerto no. 3, 4 and 5 "Emperor"


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## David C Coleman

That's such a difficult one, So many I've heard from Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Mozart through to Brahms. But one that fascinates me a lot is the Sibelius Violin Concerto...Love the dark orchestral moods contrasting with the virtuoso violin playing....


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## Manuel

_*Dedicated to Oisfetz*_

The 62 minute violin concerto by Max Reger.


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## oisfetz

C'mon Manolo. It's BORING, BORING and more BORING. Recommended only when
you can't sleep. 10 minutes of it and you will.


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## Manuel

oisfetz said:


> C'mon Manolo. It's BORING, BORING and more BORING. Recommended only when
> you can't sleep. 10 minutes of it and you will.


I don't know why, but I have three recordings of it. And I never managed to listen to the complete work.


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## Ephemerid

Shostakovich's 2nd piano concerto comes to mind first and foremost... 

and Stravinsky's Violin Concerto (especially for the dazzling finale)

These concertos I am somewhat fond of: 
Stravinsky's Concerto for Piano and Wind Orchestra
Barber's Violin Concerto
Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra (if you can really call it a "concerto" in the traditional sense)

Oddly, I find I'm usually not drawn into concertos much for some reason...

~ josh


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## Aristocrat

My absolute favourite is Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto. All of it is stunning. Coming up behind it are the Piano Concertos no. 20, 23, 24 and 26 by Mozart, Rachmaninoff's 4th and 2nd Piano Concertos, Shostakovich's 2nd Piano Concerto, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, and Mozart's Clarinet Concerto.

Funnily enough, I've never heard a Beethoven Concerto that I've liked. They seen a bit of a let down compared to Mozart's...

But yes, the absolute favourite of mine would be Rachmaninoff's 3rd.


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## hey hi hello

Currently, I really enjoy Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, especially the first and second movements. So overwhelming!


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## World Violist

All of Brahms' concerti are amazing. Sibelius' concerto is really great as well. I can't really single out one concerto I like over all others because it changes constantly. As for Vivaldi - he was a concerto-writing genius. That's all there is to say about him.

Elgar's cello concerto, Walton's viola concerto, Rubbra's viola concerto, Bruch's 1st violin concerto, Dvorak's second cello concerto... there are just too many.


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## Lark Ascending

Vaughan Williams' Oboe Concerto and Ravel's Piano Concerto in G


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## YsayeOp.27#6

The one for violin by Peter I. Tchaikovsky has catchy tunes and tops my list. Any other fan of this piece of music here?


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## Rondo

Im going to have to say a tie between Bartok's Pno. Concerto no. 3 and John Williams' Cello concerto.


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## opus67

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> The one for violin by Peter I. Tchaikovsky has catchy tunes and tops my list. Any other fan of this piece of music here?


Yup, they're here.


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## shorteybear

Peter Tchaikovkiy's Piano Concerto No 1


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## World Violist

I don't know much about Tchaikovsky, but I think the violin concerto was pretty good myself. I never really liked the Brahms one, but his double concerto is intense. The Mendelssohn concerti are spectacular as well, very enjoyable and intense as well.


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## Tré

*fav cto?*



Daniel said:


> What is you currently fav concerto? Myself it is Brahms 1 st piano concert and Beethoven 3 rd and 4th piano concerto.


My favorite concerto (which is also my favorite work EVER) is DEFINITELY Bach's Concerto for Oboe and Violin or 2 Harpsichords (BWV 1060). The Adagio is beautiful, but the Allegros are brilliant. Love them. -_-


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## Astus

I'm such a softie for Vivaldi, so I must say his Concerto in A for Violin (The Cuckoo). It is a work of such rich imagery and emotion, and I am always left feeling like a better person having listened to it! The recording with Elizabeth Wallfisch and the Aust. Brandenburg Orchestra is just lovely - the ABO have a fantastic "rustic" sound that I love in a Baroque ensemble  

Not saying that this is the best concerto ever written, but it's one that I love for my own enjoyment. There are probably too many concertos out there to pick a definitive one!

Lol a little OT, but has anyone heard the Concerto for Triangle by a guy called David Bruce? *giggles* It's so lame and cute!


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## Tré

Also I love a rather new Richard Harvey piece called "Concerto Antico for Guitar and Small Orchestra" performed best (IMO) by John Williams, Paul Daniel & The London Symphony Orchestra. It's very nice. Check it out.


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## thicks

Rachmaninoff 2nd or 3rd piano concerto - the melodies/counter melodies!


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## Smeepers

I guess my favourite is the Dvorak Cello concerto in B minor. I'm also a bit partial to the Shostakovich Cello conertos, no. 2 in particular.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

Tré said:


> Also I love a rather new Richard Harvey piece called "Concerto Antico for Guitar and Small Orchestra" *performed best (IMO)* by John Williams, Paul Daniel & The London Symphony Orchestra. It's very nice. Check it out.


Are there any other recordings available?


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## BuddhaBandit

thicks said:


> Rachmaninoff 2nd or 3rd piano concerto - the melodies/counter melodies!


Ah yea the 2nd is great... gotta love those opening chords.


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## World Violist

People should know by now that I am going to say Sibelius' violin concerto. I only have two recordings, one very good (Heifetz) and one not so great (Accardo), but they both have their moments of greatness and I like both of them to some degree. Excellent concerto.

Has anyone ever mentioned Ravi Shankar's two exceptional concerti for sitar and orchestra? They should be posted here, so I will. He wrote one officially named Concerto, etc. etc., then he wrote a "Garland of Ragas" that was essentially a concerto as well, same set up as the other concerto. Both of them masterpieces.


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## rich23434565

D minor piano concerto by Brahms
Violin concerto by Sibelius (certainly the most wonderful violin concerto ever written).


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## hornet

Wieniawski 2nd with Rabin/Goossens and (Tre mentioned above) Bach BWV 1060 with Lola Bobesco and Gilis


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## Lance

My favorite Piano Concertos: 
(in no particular order..)

Glazunov 1st
Gershwin
Rach 2
Rach 3
Shostakovich 2nd
Saint-Seans' 5th
Tchaikovsky's 1st 
Mozart's 26th 
Beethoven's 5th
Prokofiev's 3rd


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## Kezza

To the small amount of Concertos that I've been exposed too I would say
Shostakovich Cello Concerto
Sibelius Violin Concerto

Both very different. Both very awesome.


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## SamGuss

Dvorak Cello Concerto
Elgar Cello Concerto
Brahms Concerto for Violin, Cello & Orchestra
Brahms Violin Concerto

... so far.


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## confuoco

The best of the best is *Brahms: Piano concerto No. 2*

Others:
*Piano:* Brahms No. 1, ......... Schumann, Poulenc: Concerto for 2 pianos, Bartók No. 3, Tchaikovsky No. 1
*Violin:* Sibelius, Brahms, Prokofiev No. 1, Bartók No. 2, Mendelssohn, Khachaturian
*Cello:* Schumann, Shostakovich No. 1

No, I don't like Cello concerto by Dvořák and Violin concerto by Tchaikovsky very much


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## PostMinimalist

Does anyone know the *Gerald Finzi Violin concerto*?
There is a recording by the City of london Sinfonia on Chandos played by Tasmin Little.
I think the slow movement is just superb!


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## Air

*Prokofiev's third.*

Prokofiev's THIRD.

I mean, listen to the Argerich version and you'll know what I mean. The first movement: there's that first theme which makes you lift your eyes to heaven. Then with the fiery uprising ending in this INCREDIBLE bitingly sarcastic second theme. And that's just the exposition! And HOLY COW! The third movement is SO CRAZY. Banging chords every eight of a second in seemingly random places. And plus, glissandos up and down, up and down. I get a headache just listening to that, BUT I LOOOVE it!


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## World Violist

Ravel's Left Hand Concerto is really cool.

That said, I don't really have what could be called a "favorite concerto." They all have their ups and downs and such, but it's impossible for me to choose what would be my absolute favorite.


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## islandersbob

Haydn's cello concerto No. 2 and Telemann's concerto in G major for viola and string orchestra TWV 51:G9 are two of my favorites


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## john august smith

anyone out there that likes the GERSHWIN piano concerto should get the DVD titled Gershwin Night with Ozawa and a jazz trio augmenting the orchestra. Sensational!! any Rachmanonoff fan will enjoy the new CD of his fifth (yes fifth) piano concerto based on his 2nd symphony. it sounds for the world like Rachmaninoff himself is at the piano! both of these items will shake up your little world.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

john august smith said:


> anyone out there that likes the GERSHWIN piano concerto should get the DVD titled Gershwin Night with Ozawa and a jazz trio augmenting the orchestra.


The Jazz trio is not augmenting the orchestra, they are replacing the piano solo part. I find that endeavour to be completely fruitless. If you like "the Gershwin concerto", you should listen to, you guess, "the Gershwin concerto", not a bad arrangement for jazz trio.



john august smith said:


> any Rachmanonoff fan will enjoy the new CD of his fifth (yes fifth) piano concerto based on his 2nd symphony.


It's not "his" fifth piano concerto. He did compose the second symphony, but all the merits of this _concerto_ go to Alexander Warenberg. That's why the work is known as *Piano concerto "Nº 5"*, or "Symphony Nº 2, arranged as piano concerto, by A. Warenberg".


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## Air

Let me add, Saint Saens Second.


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## Isola

For piano: 

Bach 1 (D minor)
Prokofiev 2
Beethoven 3
Rachmoaninov 2
Brahms 2 
Mozart 20 
Tchaikovsky 1
Chopin 1
Schumann


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## Elgarian

*Elgar's violin concerto*

I just read back through the whole of this thread and discovered that no one has mentioned Elgar's violin concerto! The cello concerto comes up time and again, though not the violin concerto. But Elgar's violin concerto has haunted me for years and years. I think it's true to say that a little knowledge of certain aspects of Elgar's life makes it more accessible, more poignant, but even without that I'd have expected it to win admirers here. Some may think it's too long, at 45-50 minutes, but the extra length is due almost entirely to the extraordinary cadenza with which he closes the work.

The second movement is exquisitely beautiful, and would alone make the piece a favourite for me, but the reason why I go back to it, time and time again, is the great drama that is played out, again and again, between the two 'windflower' themes (as he called them), introduced in the first movement, and taken up again, later. That these themes, different in character but both deeply feminine, had some symbolic significance for Elgar is unquestionable; trying to discover what it is, is another matter. 'Herein is enshrined the soul of .....' Elgar wrote on the score, without telling us who '.....' is. Lady Alice Stuart Wortley is often proposed as the most likely candidates for the 'soul' - Elgar's nickname for her was 'Windflower' - but I don't believe it's so simple. Whoever or whatever is the 'soul', nowhere is it enshrined more mysteriously than in the cadenza.

About 9 minutes into the last movement, Elgar starts to wind it up. We know the finale is coming; we get ready for the end. But no. The momentum fades. Unexpectedly from the strings there comes the sound of something like wind - wind in trees, perhaps, or aeolian harps. It's a strange, haunting sound, and against this background the cadenza (it's an _accompanied_ cadenza) begins. For the next 10 minutes or so the violin takes up again the 'windflower' themes, and explores them as if they represent something remembered that's exquisitely painful, yet loved beyond measure. There are times when the music falters and almost dies, as if no resolution is possible, and yet, finally, some kind of reconciliation is achieved, and the concerto comes to an end in a brisk surge of something like optimism.

The power of it lies in the fact that it somehow seems to tap into something archetypal; something deeper than the mere fact that Elgar was in love with anyone in particular. I think the music is a kind of celebration of the feminine, as a healing essence, tempered by an awareness of its destructive, painful aspect. But all the theories, of course, seem insignificant, once you get involved in the music. Anyway, this is my favourite concerto.


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## World Violist

Elgarian, you beat me.

Elgar's violin concerto, even though I'm still comparatively new to it, is to me one of the most powerfully haunting violin concerti out there (along with Sibelius' and Bruch's).

Edit: I'm referring to Bruch's 1st violin concerto, by the way...


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## Elgarian

World Violist said:


> Elgar's violin concerto, even though I'm still comparatively new to it, is to me one of the most powerfully haunting violin concerti out there (along with Sibelius' and Bruch's).


What a fantastic trio of works you bring together there! It remains only for me to add, mixed in with the imagined sound of a warm breeze among leaves, memories of things past, and thoughts of things that might have been:


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## World Violist

Elgarian said:


> What a fantastic trio of works you bring together there! It remains only for me to add, mixed in with the imagined sound of a warm breeze among leaves, memories of things past, and thoughts of things that might have been:


Yes, was that not the theme that Yehudi Menuhin played in such an "English" way (according to Georges Enescu)? I love it.


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## Elgarian

World Violist said:


> Yes, was that not the theme that Yehudi Menuhin played in such an "English" way (according to Georges Enescu)? I love it.


I don't know - you sent me scurrying off to my Elgar books to check it out, though I've failed to find the reference so far. I chiefly remember it as the theme he sometimes sketched at the beginning of his letters to Alice Stuart Wortley ("Windflower").


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## YsayeOp.27#6

airad2 said:


> Let me add, Saint Saens Second.


For piano or for violin?


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## Air

Ah, now I think about it, both.


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## nickgray

Probably Vivaldi's Seasons with Carmignola/Marcon.


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## World Violist

Shostakovich's first cello concerto is really amazing. I don't know how far up in my favorites it'll climb, but it's already in my top five favorite cello concerti, which line up roughly thus:

1. Elgar (he's monopolizing my favorite concerti, I think; too bad he passed away before he could finish his piano concerto...)
2. Dvorak - to name the other blatantly obvious one...
3. Shosty
4. Saint-Saens
5. Schumann


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## Air

1.	Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3
2.	Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2 
3.	Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
4.	Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
5.	Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1
6.	Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21
7.	Beethoven Violin Concerto
8.	Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
9.	Dvorak Cello Concerto
10.	Schumann Piano Concerto in a


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## Zombo

someone mentionned Finzi, but not his best works, which are IMO the Cello Concerto (one of the best for the instrument, no doubt) and the Clarinet Concerto.

Not going to mention any violin or piano pieces due to them having their own thread.

For cello, I like the Barber, Lutoslawski, Elgar, Shostakovich 1

For guitar, I like Concierto de Aranjuez, Fantasia para un gentilhombre, concerto for two guitars by Edino Krieger, Concierto del Sur by Ponce and the one by Malcom Arnold The one by Barcarisse and the one by Castelnuovo-Tedesco are also nice.

For others, I like the Harp Concerto by Alwyn (possibly the best for the harp?), the Concert Champetre by Poulenc, Kyriades by Wisson (the best Ondes Martenots concerto ever ), the Harpsichord concerto by Gorecki, the Organ Concerto by Howard Hanson, the Clarinet by Copland, the Viola by Schnittke, the 2 Tampani Concerto by Glass, the Viola by Adler...there's more I'm missing I'm sure


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## World Violist

As for viola concerto, there are a bunch of really great ones that are basically ignored... Walton and Bartok are just the tip of the iceberg. Nobody ever seems to mention the fact that Rubbra and Bowen both wrote superb viola concerti that I consider greater by far than the Walton.


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## Zombo

have you heard the viola by Bacewicz? I like it a lot.


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## World Violist

No, I haven't; I've not been listening to a lot of viola stuff lately. I'll check the Bacewicz out, though.


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## Isola

Isola said:


> For piano:
> 
> Bach 1 (D minor)
> Prokofiev 2
> Beethoven 3
> Rachmaninov 2
> Brahms 2
> Mozart 20
> Tchaikovsky 1
> Chopin 1
> Schumann


More to add:

Shostakovich 1 & 2
Beethoven 4 & 5
Prokofiev 1 & 3
Rachmaninov 3 & 4
Brahms 1
Chopin 2
Ravel 
Bartok 3


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## LvB

Here's a more or less random list off the top of my head, and certainly in no particular order:

Violin: Sibelius; Bruch #1; Beethoven; Glass; Berg
Piano: Mozart #20; Beethoven #4; Hummel B Minor; Rubinstein #2 & #4; Brahms #1; Scharwenka #3; Rachmaninoff #2 & #3; Busoni; Prokofiev #1 & #2; and on and on....
Violoncello: Dvorak (well, duh); D'Albert; Shostakovich #1
Jew's harp: Albrechtsberger (no, really; he wrote seven concerti for this weird instrument)
Soprano: Gliere
Harp: Reinecke; Boeildieu
Organ: Haydn #1


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## SPR

LvB said:


> Jew's harp: Albrechtsberger (no, really; he wrote seven concerti for this weird instrument)
> Organ: Haydn #1


laugh. Thats a new one on me.

http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/aeiou.m...ternal&action=_setlanguage.action?LANGUAGE=en


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## PostMinimalist

Has anyone mentioned the Finzi Violin concerto or the 2 concertos for piano by Howells?
These rank amongst my favorites.


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## Herzeleide

Elliott Carter's Concerto for Orchestra.


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## agoukass

Piano:
Mendelssohn: 1 & 2; Mozart: 7, 9, 10, 15, 17, 18, 20, 23, 24; Beethoven: 4; Brahms: 1; Schumann; Franck: Symphonic Variations; Litolff: 3; Rachmaninoff: 3; Saint-Saens: 2, 4; Vaughan Williams: Concerto for Two Pianos; Shostakovich: 1 & 2.

Violin:
Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico and La Stravaganza; Mozart: 3, 5, Sinfonia Concertante; Mendelssohn; Beethoven; Brahms; Tchaikovsky; Berg.

Cello: Schumann; Dvorak; Elgar.

Oboe: Albinoni: Opp. 7 & 9.

Winds: Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, Clarinet Concerto.


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## Christi

Bach Collegium Concerto For Two


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## David_Rodrigues

*Favourite concertos*

Hello!!! My name is David and Im 26. Im new in this forum, and first of all i want to apologize myself for my bad english
Im from Portugal. I listen classical music since my 18 years old... I love Violin concertos, and the violin as an instrument... So im only going to write above the concerto that i have been listening the most in the last few weeks.

Kachaturian violin concerto played by David Oistrahk

Hugs
David


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## marval

Hello David

Welcome to the forum, glad to see you have joined in.


Margaret


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## Orgelbear

My favorite is the Poulenc _Organ Concerto_. While I love all the organ and orchestra literature, I will admit that I think the only piece that is clearly a masterwork is the Poulenc.


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## Krummhorn

Hi Orgelbear,

I'm with you on the Poulenc ... I obtained the score recently which enhances my listening experience ten fold - a masterwork, indeed. 

(Welcome to the forum - from a fellow organist)


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## Chi_townPhilly

Wow, what a great coincidence. Today, in my ol' kit bag, I have a recording of Poulenc's _Concert champêtre_ for Harpsicord & Orchestra. (It would have been neater if I actually had the ORGAN CONCERTO with me... but moving right along)- The funny thing is that the recording uses a piano. Unnecessary license taken with this work? A subversion of the composer's original intent?! Perhaps not.

It's POULENC on the piano.


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## confuoco

Orgelbear said:


> My favorite is the Poulenc _Organ Concerto_. While I love all the organ and orchestra literature, I will admit that I think the only piece that is clearly a masterwork is the Poulenc.


Do you mean organ concertos or also orchestral pieces including organ? Because in the case there is more masterworks, I think. But honestly, only organ concertos I know is this one by Poulenc and one in B major by Handel.


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## danae

My all time favourite concerto: certainly the Prokofiev 3rd piano concerto. After that it's probably Ravel's piano concerto in G.


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## livemylife

I have so many favorites, it's hard to list them all!
No order except for few in the beginning:
Sibelius Violin Concerto
Elgar Cello Concerto
Dvorak Cello Concerto
Schumann Cello Concerto
Barber Violin Concerto
Bruch Violin Concerto
Lalo Cello Concerto
Shostakovich Cello Concerto no. 1
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 2

Currently, I am obsessed with Sibelius played by Oistrakh and Dvorak by du Pre.


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## Zasranec

Zombo, I listened again to Timpani C. by Glass - it is OK, but no more so. Although I may need to listen more... I heard Schnittke's Viola C. in concert and was not impressed. Maybe performance was not the best...

Whoever mentioned Glass Violin C. - it is great!

Did anyone suggested J. Adams Violin Concerto? I was surprised to like it.


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## Sid James

Poeme_elegiaque said:


> My favourite is Prokofjev´s first violin concerto ( Specially with Maxim Vengerov and Rostropovich TELDEC)


I agree that *Prokofiev*'s _Violin Concerto No. 1_ is a great, groundbreaking piece and it is also one of my favourites (I have heard the performance you mention, but I have the Boris Belkin version and it is also superb).

I also like his _Piano Concerto No.1_. Very concise and different from what had gone before in mainstream classical music.

One of my favourite concertos of all was actually inspired by the Prokofiev: *Walton*'s _Viola Concerto_. Bittersweet, richly dark and melancholic.

Of *Beethoven*'s concertos, I especially like his _Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5_.

I also like *Brahms*' _Piano Concerto No. 1_ and his _Double Concerto _for violin and cello. The first movements are quite rhapsodic and meander down different paths, exploring different themes and ideas. I also like the rollicking Hungarian inspired endings.

*Tchaikovsky*'s _Violin Concerto _is also a good one. Very russian and expressive.

*Rachmaninov*'s _Piano Concertos _are also very good, and I especially like Nos. 2 & 3.

I also like *Bartok*'s _Piano Concertos_, especially the first. It is dissonant, edgy and very percussive.

*Stravinsky*'s _Violin Concerto _is also enjoyable, presenting a modern take on Classical traditions. Very demanding for the soloist, as s/he hardly stops playing throughout the whole piece.

I also like _Concertos for orchestra_, like the ones by *Bartok* and *Kodaly*. They show off the orchestra, with all the different colours, textures and tones of the various instruments and groups.

I suppose what makes a concerto good is the interplay of ideas between the soloist and the orchestra. Sometimes one dominates the other, or they are on equal terms. Composers have come up with different ways to attack the problem that a concerto represents in interesting ways.

I am intrigued by what could have been if some composers who didn't write concertos actually wrote one...particularly *Schubert* (he never wrote a full length concerto of any kind), *Bruckner*, *Mahler* and especially *Varese*. Now that would have been very interesting, indeed!


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## YsayeOp.27#6

Andre said:


> I am intrigued by what could have been if some composers who didn't write concertos actually wrote one...particularly *Schubert*


But he wrote, at least, a piece for violin and orchestra, I somehow recall.


----------



## Rondo

*Andre*--

Based on those you mentioned you enjoy, you should also hear Kabalevsky's Piano Concertos (particularly the 3rd in D) and Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in d minor.


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## Sid James

Rondo said:


> *Andre*--
> 
> Based on those you mentioned you enjoy, you should also hear Kabalevsky's Piano Concertos (particularly the 3rd in D) and Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in d minor.


Thanks for your suggestions... & interesting that you mention those concertos by those two composers. I have seen CDs of these works on Naxos in shops and was thinking of getting them. Even though they were written in the Soviet era, and the Khatchaturian especially has a bit of a schmaltzyness and socialist realism about it (I've heard it on radio a few times), I believe you that they can be very listenable works of good quality. I seem to recall that the Khatchaturian concerto won the Stalin Prize in the 1940s. But that doesn't mean it can't be a good piece, as Shostakovich's Piano Quartet won it too...



Ysaye said:


> But he (Schubert)wrote, at least, a piece for violin and orchestra, I somehow recall.


I actually had that piece on CD years ago (haven't got it now), it was a filler for a disc with the _Trout Quintet_. I think it was called _Concertino_ (or concert piece) _for violin and orchestra_ and lasted no more than 15 minutes. It had a pretty catchy tune, which I can still remember. Again, smaller works like this make you surmise on what could have been with Schubert, but never happened. For some reason or other, he concentrated on other genres, as did those other great Austrians who came after him, Bruckner and Mahler.


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## JTech82

Favorite concertos (in no particular order):

1. Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
2. Barber: Violin Concerto
3. Brahms: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
4. Ravel: Piano Concerto In G Major; Piano Concerto For Left-Hand
5. Ireland: Piano Concerto
6. Elgar: Cello Concerto
7. Chopin: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
8. Vaughan Williams: Concerto For Two Pianos
9. R. Strauss: Oboe Concerto
10. R. Strauss: Horn Concerto
11. Busoni: Piano Concerto
12. Bartok: Piano Concertos 1, 2, & 3
13. Holst: Double Concerto
14. Shostakovich: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
15. Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5
16. Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-4
17. Nielsen: Flute Concerto
18. Villa-Lobos: Fantasia For Soprano Saxophone
19. Villa-Lobos: Concerto For Guitar
20. Hovhaness: Concertos For Guitar 1 & 2
21. Scriabin: Piano Concerto
22. Saint-Saens: Piano Concertos 1-5
23. Sibelius: Violin Concerto
24. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos
25. Stanford: Clarinet Concerto
26. Shumann: Piano Concerto
27. Bruch: Violin Concertos

That's all I can think of right now.


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## Conor71

Currently my favourite concertos are probably Tchaikovskys Violin Concerto & Piano Concerto No. 1.
Im also very fond of Rachmaninovs Piano Concertos Nos. 3, Elgars Cello Concerto and Beethovens Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5


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## YsayeOp.27#6

JTech82 said:


> 13. Holst: Double Concerto


That's a good choice. There aren't many concertos for two violins. I can only think of those by Holst, Frid, Arnold and Bach. The Fried is a funny piece.


----------



## Lisztfreak

Andre said:


> Even though they were written in the Soviet era, and the Khatchaturian especially has a bit of a schmaltzyness and socialist realism about it (I've heard it on radio a few times), I believe you that they can be very listenable works of good quality. I seem to recall that the Khatchaturian concerto won the Stalin Prize in the 1940s. But that doesn't mean it can't be a good piece, as Shostakovich's Piano Quartet won it too...


Interesting enough how tastes differ... I heard the Khatchaturian's Concerto for the first time some weeks ago on the radio, actually turned it on right in the middle of the second movement, and I thought, 'well, this is quite mystical and intriguing'. Then the waltzing began, and I felt a bit down. And when the generally folky final movement ended in an overextendend and, IMHO, offensively distasteful series of flourishes that never seemed to end, I thought, 'Jesus, this is such an amateur!'. And then the announcer said what the piece was, so I was quite disappointed.

However much I love Shostakovich's oeuvre, I never seemed to get the Piano Quintet.


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## Taneyev

Well, I've the four DFO recordings of Khatchaturian v.c.. It's one of my favorites.


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## World Violist

At the moment my favorite concerto period is probably the Elgar cello concerto... I've got Elgar's own recording in the mail and have heard Jacqueline du Pre play it several times (on recordings, Youtube). While it is almost certainly my favorite concerto, I have heard surprisingly few people play it (not to be said about other of my favorite concerti: Sibelius, Bruch 1, etc., though the Elgar violin concerto I've only heard played by one person all the way through (Menuhin)!).


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## tonphil1960

*Elgar*

YoYo playing Elgar's Cello Concerto, so soulfull, sad, but beautiful at the same time. Amazing to me it is.

Tony


----------



## Head_case

Favourites? 

Thomas Zehetmair playing Szymanowski's Violin Concertos No.s 1 & 2. Tom's playing is sensuous and feminine, yet taut with mystical opulence. 

Vadim Repin playing Myaskovsky's Violin Concerto: just superlative, heart wrenchingly lyrical. His finesse really shows up here. No one else approaches him apart from Oistrakh's recording from the peri-war period. 

Tarasova or Rostropovich playing Myaskovsky's Cello Concerto. Tarasova's elegance is mournfully beautiful. Rostropovich's recording shows its age, but both are delightful renditions. 

Zinman playing Gorecki's Harpsichord Concerto. Who else kicks up a maelstrom of neo-gothic fingerboard pounding fury so well?!


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## Sid James

Right now I am really enjoying some slightly (& some very) atonal concertos - Berg, Schoenberg, Lutoslawski, Dutilleux, Penderecki, Henze. I also don't mind the more tonal stuff like Hovhaness, Myaskovsky & Poulenc. Anything that sounds even vaguely C20th appeals to me. But I recently bought a cd of Haydn's & Vivaldi's Cello Concertos which appeals to me as well. I get a bit bored if I'm listening to the same music all of the time, I love a bit of variety...


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## Head_case

Yeah - I don't Lutoslawski nor Dutilleux's cello concertos. The former two are a different story though. 

Early 20th century repertoire is prob. easier to enjoy for me. Ligeti's violin concerto and Norgard's 'Helle Nacht' and Nielsen's violin concerto would fall into that 'easy listening' category lol. 

Sibelius' very popular violin concerto drives me spare though. I keep seeing images of Sophie Mutter's facial expressions , drawing her bow frenetically and pushing her breasts left right and centre in a Teutonic maelstrom of emotional overload. If it's not politically incorrect to say, sometimes it might help if she wore a burkha to cover herself up and remain decent on stage


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## Il Seraglio

Loving Mozart's Bassoon Concerto at the minute, especially the first movement. The bassoon might just be my favourite wind instrument.


----------



## Guest

Do I have to pick just one? 

I think I'll indulge myself.

Beethoven's Violin Concerto - I enjoy Schneiderhan's recording with Jochum. 

Brahms' Violin Concerto - Oistrakh/Szell

Beethoven's Triple Concerto - Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richter/Karajan

Brahms' Double Concerto - Oistrakh, Rostropovich/Szell

Elgar's Cello Concerto - Du Pre/Barbirolli; Maisky/Sinopoli; Harrison/Elgar

Dvorak's Cello Concerto - Rostropovich/Karajan

Beethoven's Piano Concertos 4 & 5 - Kempff/Leitner

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 - Richter/Warsaw Philharmonic; Hough/Litton


----------



## Head_case

Lol. Are there a few Rostropovich fans lurking around here?


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## TWhite

Depends on the solo instrument, for me. 

I'm a pianist, but I'd have to admit that the one concerto that just knocks me out is the Dvorak 'Cello Concerto. And if you were to press me against the wall and put your hands around my throat and demand a "Why?" I couldn't tell you. I just think it's one of the most masterful works for solo instrument and orchestra ever written. 

With that out of the way, some more of my favorites: 
Piano: 
Brahms First in D Minor (what a GREAT key for the piano!)
Beethoven 4th in G Major
Schumann A Minor (what's NOT to like?)
Rachmaninov 1st in F# minor
Ravel Concerto in D for Left Hand 
Korngold Concerto in C# for Left Hand (written for the same pianist--Paul Wittgenstein--as the Ravel)
Prokoviev Concerto #3
Barber Piano Concerto 
Liebermann Second Piano Concerto 
Khatchaturian Piano Concerto (yah, yah, I KNOW! But it's like Gershwin in a Troika--tons of fun)

Violin: 
Vivaldi: Four Seasons (okay, I'm a sucker!)
Bach: Concerto in d minor for two violins
Brahms: Concerto in D (wonderful!)
Beethoven: Concerto in D (exquisite!)
Sibelius: Concerto in D (do I have a 'hangup' on that key or not, LOL?)
Korngold: Violin Concerto 
Bruch: Scottish Fantasy (does this count?)
Barber: Violin Concerto

Cello: 
Dvorak (already mentioned)
Elgar
Haydn (any of them)
Brahms: Double Concerto

Tom


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## James clerk

I love, not like, LOVE (lion_king_mode_off) Mozart´s Piano Concerto No. 20 and Schumanns Piano Concerto in A minor.


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## andeehunt

The Saint Saens G Minor, Mozart D Minor, Tchaik B Flat and Grieg A Minour.

I like the Saint Saens G Minor because of the 2nd movement. Very playful and it sounds like a carnival.

I like the other three because they are very dramatic, especially the first parts of the Tchaik and Grieg.




Mistakes are the portals of discovery.


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## Earthling

Funny, but the concerto genre is something I have a really hard time connecting with, no matter who the composer is (I only figured this out about myself last year, looking at my music collection).

I have, however, always loved *Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2* since I first heard it on the radio when I was 14 or 15 years old.

I have only a tiny handful of other concertos in my collection (maybe five or six), but I rarely listen to them. Certainly I've _heard _plenty other concertos in the past, but there's something about the genre that really turns me off. It probably stems from my bias against a soloist "virtuosity for virtuosity's sake," even though I know that isn't always necessarily the case with all concertos. I suppose I'll try to remedy it one day...

The only other concertos I enjoy thoroughly is Bach's Brandenburgs ;-)


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## Earthling

Oh, no, I correct myself: 

Bach's Violin Concertos in D minor (the double), A minor and E major. Shame on me for forgetting!


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## Guest

Aside from all the Brahms concertos, which I adore above all, I absolutely LOVE Prokofiev's piano conc no. 3. I listened to it for at least a month straight. Also love the Sibelius violin conc.


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## maestro267

Prokofiev's second piano concerto is my current favourite


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## Art Rock

Some beautiful less known concertos:

Cello concerto by EJ Moeran
Piano concerto by John Ireland
Clarinet concerto by Gerrald Finzi

and one that would certainly be amongst my 10 favourite concertos. regardless of [email protected]

Harp concerto (Lyra Angelica) by William Alwyn


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Max *Reger* wrote a *Piano Concerto* which begins where Brahms' First PC left off; otherwise, single favourite concerto?--no question: *Schönberg's Violin Concerto*.


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## Guest

Check out George Dyson's *Concerto da Chiesa*, an often-times tortured and yearning work for solo string quartet and ripieno string orchestra somewhat similar to Vaughan Williams' Tallis Fantasia. Naxos made a wonderful recording with David Lloyd-Jones and the Bournemouth SO.


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## Vaneyes

Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor


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## Il Seraglio

Bach's A minor violin concerto and Mozart's 23rd piano concerto are favourites of mine at the minute. I'm sure that will change next week.


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## rpmcnama

Brahms Piano Concerto no. 1 in D minor
Saint-Saens Piano Concerto no. 5 "Egyptian"
Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 4


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## Guest

Vaughan Williams' Piano Concerto is a very under-rated and under-performed piece. Give it a try, it's very easy on the ears.


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## JAKE WYB

Jeff N said:


> Vaughan Williams' Piano Concerto is a very under-rated and under-performed piece. Give it a try, it's very easy on the ears.


As a VW fan I always found it rather hard on the ears - not its roughness just its awkwardness


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## Guest

JAKE WYB said:


> As a VW fan I always found it rather hard on the ears - not its roughness just its awkwardness


Maybe in a rhythmic sense, but melodically and harmonically speaking it's very easy on the ears. At least, in comparison to the 4th symphony (which I love).


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## JAKE WYB

its what i meant by not its roughness - its the awkward tunes and harmonic shifts that sound laboured - the rhythmic spikyness is its only attraction to me


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## Orgelbear

*Rvw*

I've always wanted to hear the original FF ending to the Vaughan Williams piano concerto. I've never found the published quiet ending entirely convincing.


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## Guest

Orgelbear said:


> I've always wanted to hear the original FF ending to the Vaughan Williams piano concerto. I've never found the published quiet ending entirely convincing.


It's so typical of Vaughan Williams, though, don't you think? I mean, all but 2 of his symphonies end with his trademark _niente_, as well as the Tallis Fantasia and pretty much most of his repertoire. I think it works for the piano concerto, maybe not as well as some other pieces of his but I still like it.


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## Kopachris

My favorite concerto is definitely Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35. Critics at the time talked about it "beating the violin black and blue," but I've found it quite pleasing to the ear when it can be played.


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## Huilunsoittaja

Grieg's Piano Concerto. Everything about it is just astounding.


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## Sebastien Melmoth

*Grieg*'s PC is a favourite; recently heard *Schumann*'s PC a couple of times (his birthday, you know)--really very good indeed.

Also recently heard *Berg*'s VC live with Shaham/Dudamel LA Phil.

Good, but not as splendiferous as *Schönberg*'s VC--exquisite!


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## JAKE WYB

I find grieg to be full of brilliance at first hand but it has quickly faded and a less immediately appealing work like the schumann still holds a great degree of freshness after as many years of listening... the tricks of griegs Pc dont really wash with me any more and there is little to keep me interested


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## Oskaar

*Paderewski Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 17: I. Allegro*

I dont know if it is a favourit, but it absolutely is a great concerto!


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## tdc

These things change all the time for me, but at the moment I've been listening to a lot of Beethoven's Piano Concerto #4 and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.


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## Nix

Mozart's 20th piano concerto! Also Brahms 2nd piano concerto, Beethoven Violin Concerto, and Mozart Clarinet Concerto are all pretty cool. Sorry for being cliche.


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## Sofronitsky

Late Romantic - Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto (All-Time Favorite)
Romantic - Pierne Piano Concerto (Didn't even make the top 100 list!  )
Classical - Beethoven 5 (I don't listen to alot of Classical Concerti)
Baroque - Bach Keyboard Concerto 7 in G minor


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## violadude

Favorite Violin Concertos: Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Barber, Berg
Favorite Cello Concertos: Barber, Rautavaarra, Shostakovich 1, Schnittke 1
Favorite Piano Concertos: Prokofiev 2, Mozart 27, Milhaud 3, Barber
Favorite viola concertos: Bartok, Schnittke, Walton, Saygun
Other: Brahms double concerto

Sorry I don't know concertos for woodwinds or brass that well.


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## saxy

My favorite concerto is Glazunov's Alto Saxophone Concerto in Eb major


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## Nix

Sofronitsky said:


> Late Romantic - Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto (All-Time Favorite)
> Romantic - Pierne Piano Concerto (Didn't even make the top 100 list!  )
> Classical - Beethoven 5 (I don't listen to alot of Classical Concerti)
> Baroque - Bach Keyboard Concerto 7 in G minor


I like that you did categories, so I'm going to repost in a similar format.

Favorite Baroque: Bach Double, Bach a minor Violin Concerto
Favorite Classical: Mozart 20th Piano Concerto, Clarinet Concerto, Haydn Cello Concerto #1
Favorite Early Romantic: Beethoven Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto #4
Favorite Late Romantic: Brahms: Piano Concerto #2, Elgar: Violin Concerto
Favorite Modern: Bartok: Violin Concerto #2, Barber Violin, Shostakovich Violin Concerto #1

Ach, knew I'd end up with too many violin!


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## Lisztian

Rach 3.

...Character limit.


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## Klavierspieler

Favourite Violin - Beethoven, Elgar, Schumann.
Favourite 'Cello - Schumann, Elgar, Dvorak.
Favourite Piano - Schumann, Beethoven 4, Beethoven 5, Beethoven 3.


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## kv466

Hindemith - Concerto for trumpet and bassoon


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## Orange Soda King

Daniel said:


> What is you currently fav concerto? Myself it is Brahms 1 st piano concert and Beethoven 3 rd and 4th piano concerto.


Original post is 6 years ago: But Daniel, I think we are good friends. The Brahms 1st is also my favorite. Beethoven 3 and 4 are also fantastic, but I would also like to throw in Brahms 2nd, Saint Saens 4, and Saint Saens 5 as other concerti that are dear to my heart.


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## LordBlackudder




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## Stroopwafel

Has to be... 
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto no.1 and no. 2 
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto no.1 and no. 2 (as you can tell, I am a BIG BIG Shostaaa fan!)  
Any Vivaldi bassoon concerto!!! (as I am a bassoon player myself!!) or simply any concerto that Vivaldi that has written  I love them all 
Walton and Bartok Viola Concertos (esp. the recording/s by Yuri Bashmet) 
Schumann, Sibelius and Mendelssohn - Violin Concertos 
Berlioz HAROLD IN ITALY  

I cannot decide on a favourite, these are just the ones I love the most


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## poconoron

Favorite concertos:

Clarinet Concerto - Mozart
Piano Concerto 17 - Mozart
Piano Concerto 25 - Mozart
Sinfonia Concertante (for violin and viola) - Mozart
Piano Concerto 4 - Beethoven


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## suffolkcoastal

My favourite concerto's would be:

Barber: Violin and Piano Concertos
Bartok: Piano Concerto No 3
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 4
Britten: Violin Concerto
Copland: Clarinet Concerto
Elgar: Violin Concerto
Finzi: Clarinet Concerto
Martinu: Violin Concerto No 1
Mennin: Piano Concerto
Moeran: Violin & Cello Concertos
Mozart: Piano Concerto No 23
Nielsen: Flute Concerto
Parry: Piano Concerto
Piston: Violin Concertos 1 & 2
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No 1
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 3
Rawsthorne: Piano Concerto No 2
Rodrigo: Concerto del Este
W Schuman: Violin Concerto
Shjostakovich: Violin Concerto No 1 & Cello Concerto No 1
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Sinding: Violin Concerto
Tchiakovsky: Violin Concerto
Tippett: Triple Concerto
Tubin: Violin Concerto No 1 & Double Bass Concerto
Vaughan Williams: Piano and Oboe Conecrtos
Walton: Viola, Violin & Cello Concertos


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