Your Top Violin Concertos!

[mc ukrneal]

I have many, many favorites but here are ten that really stand out to me:

1. Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1
2. Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1
3. Stravinsky: Violin Concerto
4. Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 2
5. Berg: Violin Concerto
6. Barber: Violin Concerto
7. Ligeti: Violin Concerto
8. Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1
9. Lindberg: Violin Concerto
10. Britten: Violin Concerto

I must say, this list does not come as a surprise (though I actively dislike the Ligeti). Besides, I offset your list. Here's mine:
Mendelssohn
Beethoven
Brahms
Bruch
Elgar
Bach (for two violins)
Paganini (#2 I guess, but I do love #1)
Tchaikovsky
Mozart (probably #4. but #3 is great too and I could see #5 as well)
Saint-Saens (#3)

But this leaves off the wonderful Bartok, Barber, and Prokofiev (but who do I remove)! Have you heard the Myasakovsky? That is pretty interesting too. And then there is Hubay and Vieuxtemps, not to mention Sibelius (just not a favorite). And I didn't even know that Wolf-Ferrari wrote a violin concerto. And then there are just so many more that neither of us have mentioned.

[The new erato]

And I didn't even know that Wolf-Ferrari wrote a violin concerto.

It's quite pretty, even though extensively quoting a popular song from my hometown Trondheim, Norway.

And then there are just so many more that neither of us have mentioned.

I particularly love Milhaud's 2nd, perhaps the only work of Milhaud I would use the word love of. And Malipiero's concerto perhaps is the best work of him I know.

[Sergeant Rock]

My top ten with favorite performances:

Vivaldi Violin Concerto E minor RV277  Mullova/Antonini/Il Giardino Armonico

Bach Violin Concerto A minor BWV1041  Mutter/Accardo/English Chamber Orchestra

Mozart Violin Concerto #5 A major K.219  Mutter/Mutter/London Philharmonic

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto E minor  Jansen/Chailly/Gewandhaus Leipzig

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto D major  Belkin/Ashkenazy/New Philharmonia

Elgar Violin Concerto B minor  Chung/Solti/London Philharmonic or Bean/Groves/Royal Liverpool

Bartok Violin Concerto #1 (That's not a typo) Chung/Solti/Chicago Symphony

Havergal Brian Violin Concerto C major  Bisengaliev/Friend/BBC Scottish

Berg Violin Concerto  Chung/Solti/Chicago Symphony or Watanabe/Sinopoli/Dresden

Prokofiev Violin Concerto #2 G minor  Mullova/Previn/Royal Philharmonic


Sarge

[Scion7]

Well, obviously the obvious - the Beethoven, the Brahms, the Tchaikovsky - technically and artistically just wonderful.

Bartok's first - the raw emotion of unrequited love/lust is very apparent!

Schoenberg's is interesting.  Bruch's first and the Scottish Fantasy.  Mozart's Sinfonia concertante.

Mendelssohn's in e.  Dvorak's in a.

. . . but there are so many really fine works - Hindemith, Shostakovich, Bacewicz, Spohr, ....

Of course, Bach and Vivaldi wrote magnificent "concertos" but the Baroque's definition of concerto is somewhat different than what it came to be accepted as.

... and Berg's and Schumann's and Prokofiev's and and and ...

[kishnevi]

It's quite pretty, even extensively quoting a popular song from my hometown Tronheim, Norway.

Amazon lists two recordings.  This is the one for which the lowest price is not almost $90US. 
[asin]B000001RYB[/asin]

It would probably be easier for me to list the ones I don't like--of which Ligeti heads the list, followed by Guibaldina, I'm afraid--but those are two composers with whom I don't get along very well, so to speak.  And there are loads that I haven't heard.  Like the Milhaud and (this might sound odd, but it's true) the Stravinsky, since those are two composers with whose music I generally don't connect. 

I would draw everyone's attention to the Corigliano and Adams concertos, if they haven't heard those yet. 

My overall favoritest bestest most violinconcertoest violin concerto is probably Shostakovich 1.   

[nico1616]

1) Beethoven
2) Brahms

.... miles and miles  ...

3) Shostakovich 1
4) Tchaikovsky
5) Elgar
6) Sibelius
7) Mendelssohn

[raduneo]

Brahms (Rachel Burton)
Tchaikovsky (Oistrakh)
Sibelius (Hahn OR Batiashvilli)
Glazunov (Fischer)
Mendelssohn
Bartok 2
Shostakovich
Dutilleux
Barber
Vasks
Schoenberg
Berg
Ligeti
Unsuk Chin (just figured this one out, it really is a worthy succesor to the Ligeti!)

[violinconcerto]

And I didn't even know that Wolf-Ferrari wrote a violin concerto. And then there are just so many more that neither of us have mentioned.

If you want a complete view who wrote what for violin and orchestra in the 20th century than check out:

www.violinconcerto.de

10.000 compositions by more than 6.000 composers just from the 20th century (with recording notes)!

[TheGSMoeller]

Not sure if it's been mentioned...

I've always loved the Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46 by Bruch, perhaps it's not considered a concerto, but it's a lovely piece.

Otherwise, my favorites include the VCs of Berg, Stravinsky, Britten, Mendelssohn, and any by Vivaldi or Bach.

[Lethevich]

Some enduring favourites:

Mendelssohn
Vasks
Dvořák
Schoenberg
Brahms
Moeran
Stravinsky
Strauss
Sibelius
Rubbra
Bartók 2
Joachim 2

[Josquin des Prez]

Beethoven and Brahms. Boring choices are boring, i know, but what can i say, i like those the best.

[raduneo]

Beethoven and Brahms. Boring choices are boring, i know, but what can i say, i like those the best.

For some strange reason, I could never get into the Beethoven (I feel a bit embarassed by it ). Hopefully it's not too late! Which recording do you reccomend? which recording is the best in your opinion? Is there a recording that is more friendly for newbies?

Thank you in advance!

[North Star]

For some strange reason, I could never get into the Beethoven (I feel a bit embarassed by it ). Hopefully it's not too late! Which recording do you reccomend? which recording is the best in your opinion? Is there a recording that is more friendly for newbies?

Thank you in advance!

Zehetmair & Brüggen is excellent
[asin]B002N1RM5K[/asin]

[Drasko]

Tchaikovsky
Sibelius
Stravinsky
Brahms
Berg
Korngold
Bartok 2
Bruch Scottish Fantasy

[Wanderer]

Beethoven
Brahms
Schumann
Sibelius
Elgar

Korngold
Mendelssohn
Skalkottas
Dvořák
Bartók 2

Tchaikovsky
Prokofiev 2
Stravinsky
Szymanowski 1 & 2
Britten
Nielsen

Leoš Janáček, Putování dušičky

A superb work and a great favourite.

Bach (throw a dart, they're all good)

Indeed!

[violinconcerto]

Peter van Onna (*1966):
Peter Graham (pseudonym of Jaroslav Šťastný-Pokorný) (*1952):
Rolf Riehm (*1937):
Dieter Kaufmann (*1941):
Peter Michael Hamel (*1947):
Marek Harris (*1961):
Frederik van Rossum (*1939):
Ivan Eröd (*1936):
Dietrich Manicke (1923-2013):
Philippe Hersant (1948):
Alojz Ajdic (*1939):
Yervand Yerkanian (*1951):
Egils Straume (*1950):
Vladimir Genin (*1958):
Bernhard Hamann (1909-1968):
Benjamin Yusupov (*1962):
Desmond Bradley (*1934):
Barry McKimm (*1941):
Ricardo Teruel (*1956):
Wolfram Wagner (*1962):
Sylvie Bodorova (*1954):
Shigeaku Saegusa (*1942):
Klaas ten Holt (*1960):
Arno Babadianian (1921-1983):
Raymond Chevreuille (1901-1976):
Jan Paul Nagel (1934-1997):
Keith Gates (1948-2007):
Harri Otsa (1926-2001):
John Ritchie (1921-2014):
Jan Meisl (*1974):
Wolfgang Strauss (*1927):
Sergio Rendine (*1954):
Nancy van de Vate (*1930):
William Russo (1928-2003):
Joachim-Dietrich Link (1925-2001):
Max Jobst (1908-1943):
Siegfried Geißler (1929-2014):
Stepan Lucky (1919-2006):
Srul Irving Glick (1934-2000)


more information here: http://www.tobias-broeker.de/recommendations/

[Artran]

I'm surprised, nobody mentioned violin concerto by Mieczysław Karłowicz. Especially those who like romatic era. It's very good.

[Mirror Image]

I'm surprised, nobody mentioned violin concerto by Mieczysław Karłowicz. Especially those who like romatic era. It's very good.

Why are you surprised? Karlowicz doesn't really fall under the radar for many as he's one of the many byways of Late-Romanticism. Poland wasn't necessarily 'on the musical map' during the dawn of the 20th Century. If they were, then that's certainly news to me.

[Artran]

Why are you surprised? Karlowicz doesn't really fall under the radar for many as he's one of the many byways of Late-Romanticism. Poland wasn't necessarily 'on the musical map' during the dawn of the 20th Century. If they were, then that's certainly news to me.

Some works mentioned here are true rarities, Karlowicz, on the other hand, is relatively well known Polish composer. He pops in my mind after Szymanowski.

[Mirror Image]

Some works mentioned here are true rarities, Karlowicz, on the other hand, is relatively well known Polish composer. He pops in my mind after Szymanowski.

In my opinion, Karlowicz isn't well-known. I mean there are recordings of his music available of course, but he's still off-the-beaten-track not that this matters. This said, I've heard his VC and wasn't too terribly impressed with it. I guess I was expecting something a bit more unique, but his music is certainly Straussian in terms of sound.