On another thread, two posters were debating between Elgar and Mozart #4.
My favorite VC is Mendelssohn's, followed by Shostakovich #2. What is your favorite?
So many to choose from, including the two you cite. Love the Barber, the two by Prokofiev, and both Offertorium and In Tempus Praesens by Gubaidulina. And Berg!
But I keep coming back to the first one by Shostakovich. Its combination of virtuosity and intimacy always pulls me in; the cadenza in the third movement is awe-inspiring, and seems to bring out the best in the performer.
Over the years, I've had some memorable experiences, such as witnessing Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg break a string in the ticklish second movement, and then continue after immediately exchanging her instrument with that of the concertmaster. Or sitting in awe in the front row of the Concertgebouw, as a young Hilary Hahn made the piece seem effortless.
-Bruce
It's a sentimental favorite: the Prokofiev g minor Concerto because it's the first I played in, so with all the rehearsal and all it worked right in amongst me.
Stravinsky's Violin Concerto in D, but also Bernstein's Serenade, after Plato's Symposium, not titled "concerto", but a composition for solo violin, strings and percussion.
Good topic! The Sibelius for me (followed by Mendelssohn).
As I no doubt note every time I post that I am listening to it, that point about 6 min into the first movement when the orchestra comes back in is probably my favorite moment in all of classical music.
I don't have a favorite performance. Too many I have yet to hear. So far I like them all. Reminds me that there's a new one from James Ehnes that I have yet to hear. ;D
(Hilary Hahn's Mendelssohn might be my favorite of that one, but again still plenty of new-to-me ones out there.)
Quote from: Karl Henning on October 29, 2024, 06:34:30 AMIt's a sentimental favorite: the Prokofiev g minor Concerto because it's the first I played in, so with all the rehearsal and all it worked right in amongst me.
As a composer, you no doubt have familiarity with a number of instruments. But what's your main one, the instrument you started on or grew up with?
The first one which came to mind was the
BUSONI Violin Concerto! :o 8)
Then came
Schoenberg's! 😇
Brahms, next probably Mendelssohn, Shostakovich 1
Quote from: NumberSix on October 29, 2024, 07:19:07 AMGood topic! The Sibelius for me (followed by Mendelssohn).
As I no doubt note every time I post that I am listening to it, that point about 6 min into the first movement when the orchestra comes back in is probably my favorite moment in all of classical music.
Yay! 😃 I heard it (and saw it) performed live with Leonidas Kavakos. A wonderful concert.
K
Quote from: NumberSix on October 29, 2024, 07:21:22 AMAs a composer, you no doubt have familiarity with a number of instruments. But what's your main one, the instrument you started on or grew up with?
Clarinet. I really want to recover my left hand so I can be reunited with it. This is a recording I made a few months before my stroke:
Quote from: Cato on October 29, 2024, 07:26:55 AMThe first one which came to mind was the BUSONI Violin Concerto! :o 8)
Then came Schoenberg's! 😇
Slightly red-faced to realize that I don't recall ever hearing the
Busoni, despite being familiar with the Piano Concerto! Thanks for that link, which I will explore soon.
-Bruce
Quote from: NumberSix on October 29, 2024, 07:19:07 AMThe Sibelius for me
Love it! Heard
Gidon Kremer play this in St Petersburg's Great Philharmonic Hall.
Quote from: brewski on October 29, 2024, 08:27:02 AMSlightly red-faced to realize that I don't recall ever hearing the Busoni, despite being familiar with the Piano Concerto! Thanks for that link, which I will explore soon.
-Bruce
It is an early work from the later 1890's, but I find it most appealing, and
Herr Zimmermann gives us an excellent performance!
Top 5
Mozart 4
Mozart 5
Mendelssohn
Tchaikovsky
Dvorak
For me, the Old and New Testaments have to be Bach in E and Beethoven.
The Elgar - the very essence of the violin, the most sensitive and poetic of concerti. It's a big work but I can happily listen to it on repeat
Which is not to say that others don't rank with it in my mind.
Hindemith, Erkin, Yossifov, Tchaikovsky, Bloch, Szymanowski 1, Vladigerov1 and 2, Prokofiev 1 and 2, Kalomiris, Khachaturian.
Apart from Mozart 4 and Elgar, those by Pettersson, Zimmermann, Barber, Korngold, Bloch, Reger and, yes: Beethoven and Mendelssohn.
EDIT: how could I have forgotten my favourite 20th concerto ? Berg's VC rules.
I can actually go in order to some extent.
1. Shostakovich 1
2. Sibelius
3. Barber
4. Brahms
5. Tchaikovsky
next tier, alphabetical: Bach (both), Bernstein Serenade, Chavez, Dvorak, Locatelli Op 3 No 12 "Il labirinto armonico," Mendelssohn, Mozart 3, Prokofiev (both), Stanford, Stravinsky
Didn't we already do violin concertos?
Prokofiev 1 & 2
Bartok
Szymanowski 1
Shostakovich 1
Weinberg
Sibelius
Nielsen
Barber
Brahms
Frank Martin
Bonus concerto:
Martinu 1
Quote from: Luke on October 29, 2024, 01:06:53 PMThe Elgar - the very essence of the violin, the most sensitive and poetic of concerti. It's a big work but I can happily listen to it on repeat
Which is not to say that others don't rank with it in my mind.
Amongst those others, by the way, is one I doubt anyone else will mention but which I adore in the same way I adore the Elgar - for its ability to distill what a violin 'is' in the most touching of ways: Janacek's 'The Wandering of a Little Soul' concerto which, as I've said before is about the most concentrated, echt-Janacek orchestral work of all (ironically, given that he discarded it and that others made it performable).
To me these two very different concerti do things that no other concerto does. But that said, Brahms, Berg, Sibelius, Szymanowki 1, Mendelssohn.... Plus I have a very weak spot for the Walton, though the Viola Concerto is even better.
Quote from: Luke on October 29, 2024, 05:32:46 PMAmongst those others, by the way, is one I doubt anyone else will mention but which I adore in the same way I adore the Elgar - for its ability to distill what a violin 'is' in the most touching of ways: Janacek's 'The Wandering of a Little Soul' concerto which, as I've said before is about the most concentrated, echt-Janacek orchestral work of all (ironically, given that he discarded it and that others made it performable).
I have never even heard of this one! I found a Christian Tetzlaff recording to stream. I might check it out when I finish this Schumann piano concerto currently playing.
Number 1: Shostakovich 1 - Glad others have mentioned it too and with good reason. A flat-out masterwork.
Other I like very much:
Brahms
Respighi Concerto gregoriano
Saint-Saëns 3
Castelnuovo-Tedesco 2
Pfitzner
Hindemith
Penderecki 1
Britten
Szymanowski 2
Quote from: Daverz on October 29, 2024, 03:30:00 PMFrank Martin
Very fond of this one too.
And to give some contrast, not a big fan of these ones for different reasons each: Sibelius, Nielsen and Elgar.
I don't have just one favourite. Violin concerti that I love and listen to the most are those by Beethoven, Sibelius, Schumann, Skalkottas, Britten, Elgar, Dvořák and Brahms.
Five off the beaten tracks:
Auber
Wolf-Ferrari
August Enna
Sergei Bortkiewicz
Arthur Somervell
We already had a "Top Favorite 10 VCs" poll: https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,22228.0.html
My (second) answer then:
Quote from: ritter on February 27, 2019, 11:01:16 AMThat makes two of us... :)
Not really my favourite genre, but here goes (in alphabetical order):
Beethoven VC
Berg VC
Berio Corale
Carter VC
Maderna VC
Mozart VC No. 3
Schoenberg VC
Skalkottas VC
Stravinsky VC
Walton VC
EDIT:
Turns out I had answered this a couple of years ago: :-[
Quote from: ritter on October 15, 2017, 08:32:01 AMLet's give this a try (in alphabetical order by composer):
- Beethoven
- Berg
- Carter
- Ginastera
- C. Halffter VC #1
- Maderna
- Mozart VC #3
- Saariaho Graal théâtre
- Schoenberg
- Stravinsky
Yes, that makes 10... ;)
Relatively consistent, I'd say. :)
Quote from: ritter on October 30, 2024, 02:50:15 AMWE already had a "Top Favorite 10 VCs" poll: https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,22228.0.html
Thanks for the detective work,
Rafael, I was certain there was an older thread for this. I see that in that thread, in addition to those I listed here, I'd also mentioned the concerti by
Tchaikovsky,
Szymanowski,
Prokofiev,
Korngold and
Mendelssohn; all favourites still.
Quote from: ritter on October 30, 2024, 02:50:15 AMWE already had a "Top Favorite 10 VCs" poll:
That thread was started eleven years ago!
Quote from: Luke on October 29, 2024, 01:06:53 PMThe Elgar - the very essence of the violin, the most sensitive and poetic of concerti. It's a big work but I can happily listen to it on repeat
Which is not to say that others don't rank with it in my mind.
Glad you spoke up for the
Elgar, really a magnificent piece. and I probably owe you thanks for bringing
Janáček's Putování dušičky to my attention.
One of my favorites is Tishchenko's Violin concerto No. 2 and George Rochberg's Violin Concerto (original, longer version). These are both dramatic, long violin concertos that are full of passion, long melodies, and symphonic development.
+1 for the Tishchenko
Quote from: Florestan on October 30, 2024, 02:39:51 AMFive off the beaten tracks:
Auber
Wolf-Ferrari
August Enna
Sergei Bortkiewicz
Arthur Somervell
You should try Tor Aulin No. 3!
Quote from: Brian on November 08, 2024, 07:43:35 PMYou should try Tor Aulin No. 3!
Drat! I forgot Aulin, whose three violin concertos I have and enjoy a lot! Thanks for the reminder.
Quote from: Brian on November 08, 2024, 07:43:35 PMYou should try Tor Aulin No. 3!
All three Aulin concerti are fine works guaranteed to please lovers of Romantic VCs. They can all be found on CPO in excellent performances:
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1mYWRvUSvL._SX425_.jpg)
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on October 29, 2024, 05:52:01 PMVery fond of this one too.
And to give some contrast, not a big fan of these ones for different reasons each: Sibelius, Nielsen and Elgar.
:o :o :o
That's surprising to hear, Cesar! To be fair, I recall being rather underwhelmed the first time I heard the Nielsen and Elgar concerti, but subsequent hearings made me fall in love with them.
On a similar note, two VCs I'm not very fond of by composers I normally love are Atterberg's in E minor and Lloyd's for Violin and Winds (the one for violin and strings is better, if not a masterpiece). In particular, the Atterberg is strangely bereft of the composer's typical generous melodic inspiration, at least until the finale which is the strongest movement.
Pettersson No.2
Malcolm Williamson
David Morgan
Both by Shostakovich
Bloch
Respighi (Gregoriano)
Castelnuovo-Tedesco ('Prophets')
Roy Harris
Alwyn
So I told myself, 'Come on you blighter, make a list! Can it be so hard?' But it is, honest Guv. Because I've been so overwhelmed through most of a lifetime by the Elgar concerto, and I've listened so carefully to it, knowing how much it meant to Elgar himself, that I can't find anything else to compare with it. I'm sure there are others of comparable stature (see all the posts above), but for me, there aren't.
And then there's the fact that the other VCs that I've enjoyed tend to be wildly romantic, even hackneyed and obvious: maybe embarrassing to talk about in the same post, even.
So look, pulling myself together and making a stab at this, there's
1. Elgar.
2. Sibelius.
I'm OK so far, right? But now it gets silly. There's a huge gulf in perception, so I have to represent that somehow. OK here we go, way, way down - and please no sniggering from the back:
103. Bruch. (Great tunes)
104. Tchaikovsky - but hang on, I hardly ever listen to this ...
You see how daft this is becoming.
So really it comes down to this. Elgar, in sparkling lights, with a special mention for Sibelius, whom I would not be without. And then I just don't know or care. In fact I wonder how I summoned the audacity to add to this worthy thread. You might wonder too.
When it gets like this, David Hume's advice is best: go home and enjoy your dinner.
Heard the Khatsaturian on the radio again and yes: it remains one of my favourites. At least out of ten.
You mean Khachaturian?
Quote from: Christo on November 28, 2024, 01:36:53 AMHeard the Khatsaturian on the radio again and yes: it remains one of my favourites. At least out of ten.
Thumbs up from me for AK.
Concerning
Tor Aulin, I found this performance of the
Third Violin Concerto:
And speaking of third violin concertos, consider the third one from
Lera Auerbach:
Quote from: San Antone on October 29, 2024, 07:19:00 AMStravinsky's Violin Concerto in D, but also Bernstein's Serenade, after Plato's Symposium, not titled "concerto", but a composition for solo violin, strings and percussion.
Both of them superb!
Quote from: Christo on November 28, 2024, 01:36:53 AMHeard the Khatsaturian on the radio again and yes: it remains one of my favourites. At least out of ten.
Oh yes, it's an absolutely wondrous creation full of instantly memorable tunes and largely free of the bombast that can afflict his other works. It's easily in my top 5 VCs alongside the ones by Barber, Britten, Karłowicz, and Sibelius.