Top 10 Favorite VCs

[kyjo]

These "Top 10" threads are so damn fun! In no particular order with one per composer:

1. Shostakovich 1
2. Bartok 2
3. Prokofiev 1
4. Berg
5. Barber
6. Walton
7. Tchaikovsky
8. Bloch
9. Nielsen
10. Szymanowski 1

Honorable mentions: Schuman, Khachaturian, Hartmann (Concerto funebre), Britten, Elgar, Veale, Rozsa, Piston 1, Atterberg, Karlowicz

P.S. BTW you can include works for violin and orchestra other than concertos if you like.

[Mirror Image]

I'll definitely participate in this poll.

In no particular order:

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1
Barber: Violin Concerto
Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 2
Berg: Violin Concerto
Britten: Violin Concerto
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1
Linde: Violin Concerto
Stravinsky: Violin Concerto
Hartmann: Concerto funebre
Respighi: Concerto Gregoriano

[kyjo]

Linde: Violin Concerto

Kudos for mentioning the Linde, John! I could've easily included it in my honorable mentions. It's a gorgeous work full of heartfelt lyricism. Anyone who likes the Barber or Walton VCs will want to hear it if they haven't already!

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Much the same could be said for the Veale VC (which I listed in my first post), a torridly emotional work. Have you heard it, John?

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[Mirror Image]

Kudos for mentioning the Linde, John! I could've easily included it in my honorable mentions. It's a gorgeous work full of heartfelt lyricism. Anyone who likes the Barber or Walton VCs will want to hear it if they haven't already!

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Much the same could be said for the Veale VC (which I listed in my first post), a torridly emotional work. Have you heard it, John?

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Yeah, I bought all of those Linde recordings on the Swedish Music Society label. Very nice music with the Violin Concerto being the main work that caught my ear and haunted me long after it was over. I have heard the Veale VC (I, too, own that disc) and thought it was very nice. I'll have to revisit it at some juncture.

[kishnevi]

Also no particular order

Shostakovich 1
Britten
Lindberg
Barber
Beethoven
Brahms
Mendelssohn
Corigliano
Bach Double Violin Concerto

and one by Vivaldi, although at the moment I'm not sure which one of his concertos I'd pick as my favorite,  beyond saying it wouldn't be one of the Four Seasons.



I noticed, btw, that someone is issuing a new recording of the Lindberg, although I don't remember the performers, or even the label. AFAIK, that will the second recording of the work.

[kyjo]

Also no particular order

Shostakovich 1
Britten
Lindberg
Barber
Beethoven
Brahms
Mendelssohn
Corigliano
Bach Double Violin Concerto

and one by Vivaldi, although at the moment I'm not sure which one of his concertos I'd pick as my favorite,  beyond saying it wouldn't be one of the Four Seasons.



I noticed, btw, that someone is issuing a new recording of the Lindberg, although I don't remember the performers, or even the label. AFAIK, that will the second recording of the work.

Nice list! Re the Lindberg VC (a great work BTW), Ondine has recently released a new recording of it:

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Pekka Kuusisto is the violinist as well as the director of the Tapiola Sinfonietta in this recording, which I have on pre-order.

[kishnevi]

Nice list! Re the Lindberg VC (a great work BTW), Ondine has recently released a new recording of it:

[asin]B00DU63350[/asin]

Pekka Kuusisto is the violinist as well as the director of the Tapiola Sinfonietta in this recording, which I have on pre-order.

Thanks!  That's the one I saw.   My impression of the concerto can be gauged from the fact that I found Batiashvili's performance  of it better than that of the Sibelius with which it was coupled.

And while I'm thinking of it,  I'm ordering it. 

Am I correct in thinking there are no other recordings?

[edited: no need to duplicate the link in two successive posts]

[Mirror Image]

Yes, there are no other recordings of Lindberg's VCs besides the Batiashvili and Kuusisto.

[dyn]

i'm actually not a huge fan of the violin... or perhaps the problem is violinists and their tendency towards overly liberal intonation on the e string. And vibrato in general.

Bach - D minor concerto (BWV 1052R), reconstructed from the keyboard concerto BWV 1052—this is kind of cheating perhaps, but i do like it more than the two original violin concerti that have survived!
Mendelssohn - you know which one
Hindemith - Kammermusik No. 4
Barber - Op. 14
Stravinsky - Concerto in D
Berio - Corale
Ligeti -
Lutosławski - Chain 3
Feldman - Violin and Orchestra (lol at describing it as a "concerto" though)

i have a certain fondness for the two big ones, the Tchaikovsky and Brahms, but i've always felt that the first movement of the Brahms and the last two movements of the Tchaikovsky were rather inferior—it would make a much better composite concerto with the Tchaikovsky's first movement plus the Brahms's adagio and rondo. They're even in the same key! >.> That would be my tenth favourite i guess. >.>

Schumann's concerto has its moments but i don't feel it's top-drawer Schumann, same for the Beethoven. i don't have much time for the other big romantic warhorses (Bruch, Glazunov, Lalo, Dvořák, Sibelius, Korngold et al.) although i do sometimes listen to Bartók's Second. i've also never been impressed with most of the big-name modernist contributions to the repertoire (Schoenberg, Berg, Carter, Maxwell Davies etc), similarly the "new tonal" crowd (Adams, Glass, Corigliano, Adès, Knussen, and so forth), although Dutilleux's L'arbre des songes is worth a spin. The passacaglia of Shostakovich's First is affecting in a rather post-Tchaikovskian sort of way, but the rest of the piece has never really impressed itself on my memory.... similarly, while i know i've heard the Britten, Walton, and others, i can't bring to mind anything much from their efforts.... but like i said i think i have a sort of instinctive bias against the violin in the first place

[Daverz]

Barber
Bartok
Beethoven
Brahms
Frank Martin
Nielsen
Prokofiev 1 & 2
Shostakovkich 1
Sibelius
Szymanowski 1

[mszczuj]

Beethoven
Mendelssohn
Brahms
Tchaikovsky
Sibelius
Reger
Szymanowski 1
Prokofiev 1
Khachaturian
Shostakovich 1

[Brian]

i have a certain fondness for the two big ones, the Tchaikovsky and Brahms, but i've always felt that the first movement of the Brahms and the last two movements of the Tchaikovsky were rather inferior—it would make a much better composite concerto with the Tchaikovsky's first movement plus the Brahms's adagio and rondo. They're even in the same key!

Have you heard the Tchaikovsky concerto's original slow movement? It was published under another name (I think it's the first movement of the Souvenir de un lieu cher).

[TheGSMoeller]

Britten
Vasks "Distant Light"
Bruch No.1
Bruch "Scottish Fantasy"
Vivaldi "Four Seasons: Winter"
Glass No.1
Respighi Concerto Gregoriano
Elgar
Weill "Concerto for Violin and Wind Band"
RVW The Lark Ascending  (not labeled a VC, but more lovely than most music written for solo violin, and also can't think of another VC I would rather listen to)

[dyn]

Have you heard the Tchaikovsky concerto's original slow movement? It was published under another name (I think it's the first movement of the Souvenir de un lieu cher).

Not consciously, but a glance at the score confirms it to be one of those Tchaikovsky pieces that enters one's brain by cultural osmosis—i'm sure i've heard it before without being aware of what it was. Interesting that he supposedly dismissed it as "too lightweight" when the final Canzonetta is actually... even more lightweight?

[Lisztianwagner]

In no particular order:

Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.1
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.1
Glazunov Violin Concerto in A minor
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major
Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor
Elgar Violin Concerto in B minor
Bartok Violin Concerto No.2
Korngold Violin Concerto in D major
Szymanowski Violin Concerto No.1

Bonus: Nielsen Violin Concerto

[kyjo]

I should've included the Alwyn VC in my honorable mentions. Such a gorgeous work:

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[Mirror Image]

I should've included the Alwyn VC in my honorable mentions. Such a gorgeous work:

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Yes, but I found it to be a bit overlong. It's a nice work for sure. I love Alwyn anyway. Great composer. That Hickox Chandos series is the the one to have. I did like Lloyd-Jones' series well enough though.

[Sammy]

Mozart 3
Mozart 5
Shostakovich 1
Shostakovich 2
Weinberg
Miaskovsky
Dvorak
Sibelius
Nielsen
Tishchenko 1

[Sef]

1. Shostakovich 1
2. Ligeti
3. Sibelius
4. Korngold
5. Tchaikovsky
6. Khachaturian
7. Hartmann
8. Barber
9. Bruch
10. Mendelssohn

There are so many more! The last contributer mentioned the Weinberg and Miaskovsky, which should both be on my list (remembered too late). Or the Vasks, or Lindberg for that matter - time to start listening to them all again!

Whose going to create the Cello concerto poll?

[kyjo]

Tishchenko 1

Tishchenko 1......interesting choice! I'll have to revisit it sometime. Tishchenko's a good composer, but since he's highly uneven, he's not one of my favorites.