Rank the Beethoven concertos

[Brian]

It's time for yet another of the impulsive exercises in cruelty which made the Polling Station famous!

Rank the Beethoven concertos in order from your favorite to your least!

for me:
- love them-
piano 5
piano 4
- like them -
piano 1
triple
- meh/uneven (actually in both cases, bloated first movements which everyone plays way too slowly, but the second/third are great) -
piano 3
violin
- just kinda boring -
piano 2

[MusicTurner]

Descending order:

Emperor
PC 4
Triple
PC 3
PC 2

not particularly fond of:
PC 1 (I know it's generally rated highly)
VC as PC
VC
Romanzen
Choral Fantasy
Early PC movements - Rondo etc.

[Sergeant Rock]

5
3
4
Choral Fantasy
VC
Triple
1
2

[JBS]

PCs 3 and 4
VC
Triple
Choral Fantasy
PC 5
PC 6 (aka VC for piano)
PCs 1 and 2

The Triple Concerto and the Choral Fantasy are among my guilty pleasures.

[kyjo]

1) Triple: no joke; I LOVE this work even though - or perhaps because - so many people are dismissive of it. Beethoven at his most sunny and generously tuneful!
2) PC 4
3) PC 5
4) VC
5) PC 3
6) PC 1
7) PC 2 (definitely my least favorite)

[(poco) Sforzando]

Top tier, can't choose between:
3, 4, 5

Middle:
1

Odd but interesting:
Triple

Modestly interesting but not much personality:
2

Weak, perhaps his single least interesting orchestral work:
Violin

[Holden]

4, 5 3, 1, 2, Triple, Choral Fantasy, VC.

[Jo498]

4
5
3,1
2, triple, violin - need a bit help from enthusiastic players
(choral fantasia
romances)

[Symphonic Addict]

Piano Concerto No. 5
Piano Concerto No. 4
Triple Concerto
Violin Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 3
Piano Concerto No. 1
Piano Concerto No. 2

[ritter]

Piano Concerto No. 5
Piano Concerto No. 4
Triple Concerto
Violin Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 3
Piano Concerto No. 1
Piano Concerto No. 2

That's very similar to my preferences:

PC4
PC5
VC
Triple Concerto
PC3
PC1
PC2

I don't quite understand the general lack of appreciation for the Violin Concerto. I think it has some stunning features (love that static first movement, where the music seems "not to go anywhere", and yet it does  ). And the last movement is clearly the model for later works in the genre (which, despite being manifestly inferior —copies often are inferior to the original   —, are widely acclaimed).

[Florestan]

VC
Triple
Choral Fantasy
PC 2
PC 4
PC 5
PC 3
PC 1

[Florestan]

I don't quite understand the general lack of appreciation for the Violin Concerto

I don't either. And I'm equally astonished by the hatred toward PC 2. 

[ritter]

I don't either. And I'm equally astonished by the hatred toward PC 2. 

I should revisit PC2.

I see you include the Choral Fantasy... I thought about mentioning Fidelio  (but I too like the Fantasy quite a lot)...

Good evening, Andrei!

[(poco) Sforzando]

I don't either. And I'm equally astonished by the hatred toward PC 2. 

No "hatred," but it's just a rather generic early work. As for the VC, "static first movement, where the music seems "not to go anywhere" sounds about right. 

[Florestan]

No "hatred," but it's just a rather generic early work.

Maybe, but what an utterly charming one!

As for the VC, "static first movement, where the music seems "not to go anywhere" sounds about right. 

Why should good music always go to some place?

[(poco) Sforzando]

Why should good music always go to some place?

Why not>? 

[prémont]

No "hatred," but it's just a rather generic early work. As for the VC, "static first movement, where the music seems "not to go anywhere" sounds about right. 

Depends upon the interpretation.

[prémont]

Usually I don't participate in rankings of this kind, but:

Piano concerto 4
Piano concerto 2
Piano concerto 1
Piano concerto 3
Violin concerto
Piano concerto 5
Triple concerto

[Florestan]

Why not>? 

You can do better than that --- or can you? 

[Brian]

No "hatred," but it's just a rather generic early work. As for the VC, "static first movement, where the music seems "not to go anywhere" sounds about right. 

I do think that contemporary performers are making the VC worse. The first movement is the problem for me as it is for you, but I did a quick look at track timings and the performances that I most happily tolerate - Milstein, Heifetz, Francescatti, Zehetmair, etc. - all clock in right at 21-22 minutes. The really excellent new Gil Shaham recording with chamber orchestra The Knights is also exactly 21' in the first movement. Contrast to Hahn and Batiashvili at 24', two recent DG recordings of not famous artists at 25', Dumay and Kyung Wha Chung 25', Swensen/Previn at 28', Serkin on piano 29'...

Of course the existence of a longer cadenza complicates this analysis a bit. But my personal suspicion (aided by Serkin/Ozawa being 29') is that modernist and contemporary music specialists see Beethoven's violin concerto as a kindred spirit work, if you play it glacially slowly and treat it like blobs of sound.