the 50 best known violin concertos from 20th century

[violinconcerto]

Hello!

For some additional information on my website I need a list of what can be called the "50 best known violin concertos from the 20th century".
I know that such a list never can be "true" or "100% correct", but I think it is possible to find a couple of names that surely fit into this category. To give such a list some kind of "seeming objectivity" I would like to ask you first for names that in your opinion fit into this topic.
Of course you don't need to mention 50 works, every idea counts. So if you just want to mention one work, go ahead. After a while I will count together what you did say and I will show what I thought would be the best-known 50.

I would be pleased if you can help!

Thanks and best,
Tobias

[listener]

We will probably get a set of arguments about personal favourites (because they are the "best known" to the arguers), but "best known" can probably be assessed by number of recordings or performances.
I'll suggest that these are the most likely to be known:
Sibelius
Prokofiev
then in some order:
Bartok, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Elgar, Walton, Shostakovich, Berg,  Barber, Khachaturian,  Korngold
and
Rozsa, Britten, Szymanowski, etc.
I'd say "obsessive-compulsive" if there be any large number here who have several (say 4+) recordings of concertos by Havergal Brian, Martinů, Reger, Hindmith, Bacewicz, Schnittke, Menotti, Dohnanyí, Miaskovsky, to name a few, or who can claim to have heard these played live more than once.

add reference list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_for_violin_and_orchestra

[jimmosk]

Okay, here goes... I make no claim to perfect memory, so apologies if I missed something obvious!

Sibelius
Shostakovich #1
Bartok #2
Barber
Prokofiev #1 & 2
Elgar
Stravinsky
Glazunov
Korngold
Khachaturian
Hindemith
Nielsen
Szymanowski #2
Bloch
Rozsa
Bartok #1
Britten
Kabalevsky
Glass
Adams
Penderecki #1
Miaskovsky
Walton
Rochberg
Holmboe
Schuman
Martinu #1 & 2
I should probably include one of Schnittke's four, but can't decide which!

-J

[added later: thanks, GMGers, for pointing out some of the Big Ones that I missed... but so as not to skew Tobias's data collecting I'll leave my first impressions as they are.  *Except* I want to add the Berg, since I think it's an especially grievous oversight!]

[springrite]

I should probably include one of Schnittke's four, but can't decide which!

-J

The 4th, of course, where the violin does NOT play a note in the last movement, only moving the bow in the air just above the strings. I would also like to add the Alwyn and Tischenko #2.



I wouldn't include it but its popularity, with over 100million sold should give it automatic inclusion, is the Butterfly Lover Violin Concerto.

[val]

First, the great masterpieces:

Bartok 2nd Concerto, Alban Berg, Stravinsky, Sibelius, Prokofiev's First & 2nd.

In a second line, Schönberg, Shostakovitch First Concerto (I don't know the 2nd), Dutilleux, Frank Martin, Szimanowsky (2 Concertos), Luis Freitas Branco, Khatchaturian.

[violinconcerto]

Thanks all for your comments!
Especially a thank you to Jim and listener, because thats what I need: a list straight of the brain of violin concertos you know (or if you know more than 50 you think are best-known). I know that there are different interpretations of "best-known" (known by most of the people, mostly recorded, mostly performed, etc) and I also know that this changed during the 20th century and works rised and others were forgotten. But I ignore all these aspects and just want your opinion! The more opinions I get the better! So please go ahead!

Best,
Tobias

[Lethevich]

Two recent choices that wouldn't make a top 25 but might just slip into a top 50:

Conigliano - Red Violin Concerto. I don't think that this is much good, but it received a decent level of popular exposure.

Vasks - Violin Concerto. Considering that this piece was written in 1997, it has already received approaching 10 recordings, which must indicate that it's doing something right.

Britten's is excellent, but sadly not well-known enough to make this list.

[Maciek]

I hope Lutoslawski's Chain 2+Interlude+Partita counts!

(I might try to put together a full list a little later, have to run right now. 0:))

[karlhenning]

Okay, here goes... I make no claim to perfect memory, so apologies if I missed something obvious!

Sibelius
Shostakovich #1
Bartok #2
Barber
Prokofiev #1 & 2
Elgar
Stravinsky
Glazunov
Korngold
Khachaturian
Hindemith
Nielsen
Szymanowski #2
Bloch
Rozsa
Bartok #1
Britten
Kabalevsky
Glass
Adams
Penderecki #1
Miaskovsky
Walton
Rochberg
Holmboe
Schuman
Martinu #1 & 2
I should probably include one of Schnittke's four, but can't decide which!

-J

Just wanted to remark that, given the thread title (50 best known violin concertos from 20^th century), I find it curious that this list here omits the Shostakovich second concerto, yet mentions both of Martinů's — the first of which had fallen off the radar, and had been believed lost (by even those who knew of it) until the score resurfaced in 1973.

More than one neighbor has listed the Shostakovich first concerto, and mentioned not knowing the second.  All I shall say is:  Get to know the second, too.

[rappy]

I also wonder how there can be such a long list omitting Schoenberg, Ligeti and Rihm

[WI Dan]

Okay, here goes... I make no claim to perfect memory, so apologies if I missed something obvious!

I forgive you.

[violinconcerto]

OK, it looks like nobody else has some thoughts about it. So thanks to all who added some information.
Finally I would like to show you what I had in mind about the 50 best-known violin concertos from 20th century. Here is what I think:

1. Jean Sibelius
2. Dmitri Shostakovich 1
3. Alban Berg
4. Samuel Barber
5. Bela Bartok 2
6. Sergei Prokofiev 1
7. Aram Khachaturian
8. Igor Stravinsky
9. Gang Chen
10. William Walton
11. Edward Elgar
12. Leonard Bernstein
13. Alexander Glazunov
14. Philip Glass
15. Leos Janacek
16. Arvo Pärt (Fratres)
17. Karol Szymanowski 1
18. Ralph Vaughan Williams (The lark ascending)
19. György Ligeti
20. Kurt Weill
21. Dmitri Kabalevsky
22. Sergei Prokofiev 2
23. Erich Wolfgang Korngold
24. John Adams
25. Henri Dutilleux
26. Ottorino Respighi (Concerto gregoriano)
27. Karol Szymanowski 2
28. Krzysztof Penderecki 2
29. Maurice Ravel (Tzigane)
30. Alfred Schnittke 3
31. Arnold Schönberg
32. Benjamin Britten
33. Witold Lutoslawski (Chain 2)
34. Bohuslav Martinu 2
35. Peteris Vasks
36. Karl Amadeus Hartmann
37. Darius Milhaud 2
38. Luciano Berio (Corale)
39. Lou Harrison (Cto for vln and percussion orch)
40. Hans Werner Henze 1
41. Pazul Hindemith (VC)
42. Frank Martin
43. Miklos Rozsa
44. Joaquin Rodrigo
45. Ernest Bloch
46. Alexander Arutiunian
47. Morton Feldman
48. Carl Nielsen
49. Frederick Delius
50. Sofia Gubaidulina 1

I am curious about your thoughts! Beat me up...

The list is some kind of sorted from better known to lesser known works, but that is not too serious. I am not interested in a ranking but in 50 violin concertos most people have an opinion to. So let me know what you think about the list.

Best,
Tobias 

[Maciek]

I am curious about your thoughts! Beat me up...

Hey, I actually like your list. There are quite a few up there I don't know (Bernstein wrote a violin concerto?! ). So I will use this as a basis for a "must hear" list. You've included Chain 2, so you've passed my test for what a good list should look like.

And knowing your vast knowledge of the subject I admire the strength of will it must have taken to compose a list of "only" the 50 best known works...

(I would have loved to see the Karlowicz VC in there, but I realize it's far from being a well known work. )

[Chafing Dish]

There's a very fine sui generis violin concerto by Fartein Valen from 1940. Nikos Skalkottas also wrote a valuable one in 1938.

In my opinion, these can replace the Part and the Ravel, neither of which count for me as violin concertos. Mind you, I don't know if I'd rank the replacements in the same places as the replaced.

[The new erato]

Bernstein wrote a violin concerto?! ).

He called it "Serenade". With Schumann and Ponce maybe the best vn concertoes written in the Americas (I find Barbers too sweet...., maybe Pistons 2 and Rochberg belongs in this company as well, but I need to rehear those).

[Maciek]

Oh, OK, that one I do know (and have at least one recording, though I can't remember the last time I listened to it).

[jlaurson]

I'd list them alphabetically... else there's going to be contention listing Glass above Adams and Barber above Prokofiev, or the Butterfly Lovers above Szymanowski... and so on.:-)

I've made bold those that I think *must* belong 'high' to this list, italicized those that probably should be included.

1. Jean Sibelius
2. Dmitri Shostakovich 1
3. Alban Berg
4. Samuel Barber
5. Bela Bartok 2
6. Sergei Prokofiev 1
7. Aram Khachaturian
8. Igor Stravinsky
9. Gang Chen
10. William Walton
11. Edward Elgar
12. Leonard Bernstein
13. Alexander Glazunov
14. Philip Glass
15. Leos Janacek
16. Arvo Pärt (Fratres -- Fratres? not "Tabula Rasa"? Even so, does it qualify?)
17. Karol Szymanowski 1
18. Ralph Vaughan Williams (The lark ascending--not a VC in my book)
19. György Ligeti
20. Kurt Weill
21. Dmitri Kabalevsky
22. Sergei Prokofiev 2
23. Erich Wolfgang Korngold
24. John Adams
25. Henri Dutilleux
26. Ottorino Respighi (Concerto gregoriano)
27. Karol Szymanowski 2
28. Krzysztof Penderecki 2
29. Maurice Ravel (Tzigane - stretching the VC?)
30. Alfred Schnittke 3 (4?)
31. Arnold Schönberg
32. Benjamin Britten
33. Witold Lutoslawski (Chain 2)
34. Bohuslav Martinu 2
35. Peteris Vasks
36. Karl Amadeus Hartmann (funebre)
37. Darius Milhaud 2
38. Luciano Berio (Corale)
39. Lou Harrison (Cto for vln and percussion orch)
40. Hans Werner Henze 1
41. Pazul Hindemith (VC)
42. Frank Martin POLYPTYQUE
43. Miklos Rozsa
44. Joaquin Rodrigo
45. Ernest Bloch
46. Alexander Arutiunian
47. Morton Feldman
48. Carl Nielsen
49. Frederick Delius
50. Sofia Gubaidulina 1

Here a couple I didn't see above that I find no less obscure than the least known in your list... or even considerably more prominent... esp. Bacewicz.

Malipiero, Schoeck, Goldschmidt, Alwyn, Pfitzner, Weinberg, Petterson, Holmboe, (believe it or not: John Williams, Maw, Ginastera,  Bartok 1, Rautavaara,  Jolivet, Blacher, Carter, Antheil, Bacewicz 1, 3, 7, Hubay 3, Myaskowsky,  (I hate it, but:) O'Connor, Rochberg, haven't heard it but people on GMG liked it: Roslavets, Stanford 2, BAZi

[The new erato]

And where's Milhaud's 2nd; one of my absolute favorites?

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Can someone clarify what the title "Butterfly Lovers Concerto" means?

Does it refer to:

1. People who love butterflies, or

2. Butterflies who love each other?

[violinconcerto]

And where's Milhaud's 2nd; one of my absolute favorites?

Its number 37 in the list.