GMG's Greatest Concertos Poll of 2017

[Mirror Image]

...and I'm never doing that again.

Do as you wish, my friend. It's your list, not mine. I'm just busting your chops. We all have our favorites.

[GioCar]

Ok, just for fun, one per composer:

10. Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E-flat major, K364
9. Berg: Violin Concerto
8. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major, BWV1048
7. Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54
6. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.4 in G major, Op.58
5. Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, Op.15
4. Ligeti: Violin Concerto
3. Maderna: Grande Aulodia, for Flute, Oboe and Orchestra
2. Dutilleux: Tout un monde lointain... (Cello and Orchestra)
1. Vivaldi: Concerto No.4 in F minor, Op.8, RV297, "Winter"

[Mr Bloom]

5) Bartok Concerto for strings percussions and Celesta 6 points

The music for strings, percussions and celesta is hardly a concerto.

[Mr Bloom]

Points, not rank.

10. Brett Dean - The lost art of letter writing (violin concerto) (2006)
9. Karol Szymanowski - Violin concerto n°2 (1933)
8. Alfred Schnittke - Cello concerto n.1 (1986)
7. Dmitry Shostakovich - Violin concerto n.1 (1948)
6. Jan Erik Mikalsen - Clarinet concerto (2010)
5. Lasse Thoresen - To the brother peoples (concerto for hardingfele, nyckelharpa and orchestra) (2005)
4. Arnold Schoenberg - Violin concerto (1936)
3. Ernst Toch - Piano concerto (1926)
2. Iannis Xenakis – Keqrops (piano concerto) (1986)
1. Unsuk Chin - Cello concerto (2008)

I'm sorry, but the romantic in me has died a long time ago.

[Karl Henning]

I compiled my list offline, and (it being early in the day) I unwittingly mistook the thread as Greatest 20^th-c. Concertos.  Which, of course, even with that restriction, is impossible.

But I shall let it stand.  Here goes nothing!

Nielsen, Clarinet Concerto (10 pts)
Carter, Double Concerto for Harpsichord, Piano & Two Chamber Orchestras (9 pts)
Prokofiev, Violin Concerto № 2 in g minor (8 pts)
Elgar, Cello Concerto in e minor (7 pts)
Schnittke, Concerto for Three (6 pts)
Shostakovich, Violin Concerto № 1 in a minor (5 pts)
Wuorinen, Piano Concerto № 3 (4 pts)
Wuorinen, Five: Concerto for Amplified Cello and Orchestra (3 pts)
Mennin, Flute Concerto (2 pts)
Rakhmaninov, Piano Concerto № 2 (1 pt)

[TheGSMoeller]

Bumping for possibility of any more lists. Will post scores tomorrow!

[Ken B]

Bumping for possibility of any more lists. Will post scores tomorrow!

I'm Ben K. Ken lent me his password to vote. My votes are the same as his. Coincidence.

[mc ukrneal]

FTFY.

It's as if some truly great and popular concertos were never written, and as if whole chapters in the history of music suddenly turned into mere negligible footnotes. It must be some sort of conspiracy. 

Some posters have freely admitted that they are using this as a forum to put out a few names who may normally not get recognition. Others have limited their lists in some way (one nomination per composer for example). Thus, the result here simply will not be a list of 'greatest' concertos.

[TheGSMoeller]

Thus, the result here simply will not be a list of 'greatest' concertos.

Well darn, and here I was hoping that the final list would be looked upon throughout the classical music world as the one true list of the greatest concertos ever.

[musicrom]

+10: Sibelius, Violin Concerto
+9: Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto
+8: Lindberg, Clarinet Concerto
+7: Walton, Viola Concerto
+6: Elgar, Cello Concerto
+5: Prokofiev, Violin Concerto No. 1
+4: Shostakovich, Piano Concerto No. 1
+3: Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 20
+2: Gubaidulina, Viola Concerto
+1: Goldmark, Violin Concerto

[Karl Henning]

Well darn, and here I was hoping that the final list would be looked upon throughout the classical music world as the one true list of the greatest concertos ever.

In certain circles . . . .

[TheGSMoeller]

In certain circles . . . .

The best circles.

[Mirror Image]

Points, not rank.

10. Brett Dean - The lost art of letter writing (violin concerto) (2006)
9. Karol Szymanowski - Violin concerto n°2 (1933)
8. Alfred Schnittke - Cello concerto n.1 (1986)
7. Dmitry Shostakovich - Violin concerto n.1 (1948)
6. Jan Erik Mikalsen - Clarinet concerto (2010)
5. Lasse Thoresen - To the brother peoples (concerto for hardingfele, nyckelharpa and orchestra) (2005)
4. Arnold Schoenberg - Violin concerto (1936)
3. Ernst Toch - Piano concerto (1926)
2. Iannis Xenakis – Keqrops (piano concerto) (1986)
1. Unsuk Chin - Cello concerto (2008)

I'm sorry, but the romantic in me has died a long time ago.

Not necessarily. You still have Shostakovich, Szymanowski, Schnittke, and Schoenberg on your list. They're pretty 'Romantic' to me. Perhaps not in the presentation of the music, but their expression and general feeling sounds quite Romantic. Of course, there's also the possibility that I've gone out of my mind.

[TheGSMoeller]

It's been 6 days since I first began to compile scores, but stopped so I wasn't influenced on my own personal list since I didn't make one when I first created the thread, and I have about 10 more lists to add. So here's mine, and shortly I'll post the top 25 or 30 concertos and their scores...

Brahms Violin - 10
Strauss duet-concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon - 9
Mozart Piano No. 22 - 8
Vivaldi Four Seasons Winter - 7
Telemann Concerto E Minor for Recorder and Flute TWV 52 - 6
Poulenc Concerto for organ, timpani and strings - 5
Vasks  Violin Concerto Distant Light - 4
Glass Violin No. 2 -3
RachmaninovPiano 3  -2
Schoenfield Vaudeville Concerto  for Piccolo Trumpet -1


Made a quick adjustment, had to add Vasks!

[TheGSMoeller]

Completed list! Let the discussions begin!

1: Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 - 52
2: Berg: Violin Concerto - 42
t3: Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 - 41; Sibelius: Violin Concerto - 41
5: Dvorak: Cello concerto - 37
6: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 - 36
7: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 K. 488 - 34
8: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 K. 491 - 30
9: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 K. 466 - 29
t10: Bartok: 2nd Piano concerto - 28; Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto  - 28
t12: Adams: The Dharma at Big Sur - 26; Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto #1 In B Flat Minor, Op. 23 - 26
t14: Brahms: Violin concerto - 25; Ravel: Concerto for Left Hand  - 25
16: Elgar : Violin Concerto - 24
17: Elgar - Cello Concerto - 22
18: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27 K. 595 - 21
19: Alwyn Lyra Angelica - 18
t20: Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 9 "Jenamy" ("Jeunehomme") - 18; Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22 - 18; Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major - 18
23: Bach - Brandenburg Cto 3  - 17
t24: Schoenberg: Violin Concerto - 16; Shostakovich Cello concerto 1 - 16
t26: Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 - 15; Vasks: Violin Concerto "Tālā gaisma (Distant Light)" - 15
t28: Martinů: Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano & Timpani - 13; Lutoslawski: Cello concerto - 13; Kabalevsky: Cello Concerto 2 - 13
t31: Schnittke: Cello Concerto No. 1 - 12; Brahms Piano Concerto 1 D minor - 12

[Mahlerian]

Seems like a fine list to me, and I'm happy to see the Schoenberg Violin Concerto sneak in there.  Even if Mozart didn't take the top spot, there are several of his concertos on the list.

I just wish I had boosted one of the Carter Concertos up there by working with someone else's vote...

[Karl Henning]

These are decidedly "coalition" polls 

[Maestro267]

Thus, the result here simply will not be a list of 'greatest' concertos.

Because that is completely and utterly impossible to create. I just posted 10 of my favourites (note, not my all-time top 10-in-that-order, again, another thing impossible to do). I absolutely loathe the use of the term "greatest" as it is so often used in classical music circles. It implies that this is a closed club that no one outside of it has any chance of entering whatsoever. The thread title should really be done for Trades Descriptions.

[Mirror Image]

Completed list! Let the discussions begin!

1: Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 - 52
2: Berg: Violin Concerto - 42
t3: Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 - 41; Sibelius: Violin Concerto - 41
5: Dvorak: Cello concerto - 37
6: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 - 36
7: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 K. 488 - 34
8: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 K. 491 - 30
9: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 K. 466 - 29
t10: Bartok: 2nd Piano concerto - 28; Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto  - 28
t12: Adams: The Dharma at Big Sur - 26; Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto #1 In B Flat Minor, Op. 23 - 26
t14: Brahms: Violin concerto - 25; Ravel: Concerto for Left Hand  - 25
16: Elgar : Violin Concerto - 24
17: Elgar - Cello Concerto - 22
18: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27 K. 595 - 21
19: Alwyn Lyra Angelica - 18
t20: Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 9 "Jenamy" ("Jeunehomme") - 18; Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22 - 18; Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major - 18
23: Bach - Brandenburg Cto 3  - 17
t24: Schoenberg: Violin Concerto - 16; Shostakovich Cello concerto 1 - 16
t26: Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 - 15; Vasks: Violin Concerto "Tālā gaisma (Distant Light)" - 15
t28: Martinů: Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano & Timpani - 13; Lutoslawski: Cello concerto - 13; Kabalevsky: Cello Concerto 2 - 13
t31: Schnittke: Cello Concerto No. 1 - 12; Brahms Piano Concerto 1 D minor - 12

Prokofiev, Berg, Shostakovich, and Sibelius all in the top spots? Hell yeah! Great to see.

[TheGSMoeller]

Because that is completely and utterly impossible to create. I just posted 10 of my favourites (note, not my all-time top 10-in-that-order, again, another thing impossible to do). I absolutely loathe the use of the term "greatest" as it is so often used in classical music circles. It implies that this is a closed club that no one outside of it has any chance of entering whatsoever. The thread title should really be done for Trades Descriptions.

I'm sorry you didn't like my thread title, Maestro, but I do appreciate you participating! Thank you!