What are the top violin concertos of all time?

Question

Is there an "official" list of the top violin concertos?
or
in general...the top concertos

Answer 1

I don't think that there is an official list of the top violin concertos of all time, but here are the top ones in general. (By you saying top, I'm assuming that you mean the most techinacally difficult and most popular)

So here's a general list:

1. Tchaikovsky violin concerto in D major
2. Brahms violin concerto in D major
3. Sibelius Violin Concerto
4. Bruch Violin Concerto in g minor
5. Shostakovich Violin Concerto no. 1 and no. 2
6. Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
7. Beethoven Violin Concerto
8. Mozart Violin Concerti

There's alot more out there, but those are the top couple in no particular order.

Ruby Red Rose
@>-'-,--

Answer 2

Barber Dvorak Bruch Scottish Fantasy (No 1 constantly comes top of the 'most favourite works' here in the UK so I would have lumped that - with the Mendelssohn with those which should not be on list) Brahms - I'm always surprised that this work, the equal of the Beethoven IMO - doesn't get heard more often Prokofiev 1 Shostakovitch, 1 The 19th century Hungarian virtuoso, Jeno Hubay wrote several great concertos, lets plump for just one to keep the list down to 10, ok, No 2, op90 as it's in my favourite key of E Major Maurice Moszkowski Violin Concerto in C major, Op 30 - from a minor composer, better known for his piano works. Benjamin Godard - I've just discovered this 19th century Frenchman's works, courtesy of Chloe Hanslip - let's say, Concerto Romantique for Violin and Orchestra, Op 33 Gerald Finzi, Concerto for Violin and small Orchestra I've run out of my 10, so no room for Sibelius or Walton or Britten or Delius or Stravinsky

Answer 3

To provoke thought and to move away from the concerti already quoted, the interested listener might like to try the following :-

E. J Moeran - Violin Concerto - romantic, with a touch of Irish.
David Morgan - Violin Concerto - fiery and ascerbic.

As for string music in general, the Twentieth Century provided many masterpieces, for example Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, various string works of freshness and originality from Bohuslav Martinu. Poulenc wrote a magnificent concerto for Organ Timpani and strings, and, if you like tooth-grinding, bittersweet dissonance, then the Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings by Kenneth Leighton is worth an audition.

The Viola has also had a bit of a renaissance. Sir William Walton wrote a particularly fine concerto, and the modern school is represented by a similar work by Diana Burrell.

Give them a bash!

Answer 4

It's a matter of preference. But I think Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikowsky and Beethoven are the best--each wrote only one violin concerto.

Bach wrote a concerto for 2 violins that I really love.

Mozart wrote several, and they are all good but no 'stars'.

The violin really came into its own during the 'romantic' period, the 19th century. That's why Mendelsson, Brahms, etc. etc. are so good. The finale of the Mendelssohn concerto will make you head spin! Brahms is the most emotional.

Answer 5

I play the violin myself , in my list I have :
1- Sibelius
2- Tchaikovsky
3- Brahms
4- Prokofiev no.2
5- Mendelssohn
6- Beethoven
7- Shostakovitch no.2
8- Wieniawski n0.2 ( especially the second movement)
9- Elgar
10-Lalo Symphony Espagnole (it is a fun piece)
11- Bruch Scottish Fantasy (awesome !)

These are few concertos I really like . I hope you like it too .

Answer 6

Tchaikovsky, Bach, and Mozart...

well, here in the philippines, Kasilag's violin concerto is very challenging.It's like you're playing a Bartok concerto with a taste of Bach..:)

Answer 7

Category of
Most Beautiful:

Beethoven, Mozart's 3rd and others, Mendelssohn, Tchaikowsky, Bruch, Schumann, Bach Double Concerto and others, Pagannini's concerti


Diffoculty is naanother matter....Beethoven and Brahmsn are very hard, along with Paggannini, Berg, Bartok

Answer 8

It's nice to see Walton included, but Prokoviev is missed out? His violin concerto is brilliant, Red Red Roses list is good for the most played if you want tops of the pops, they bring the biggest audiences. Janacek wrotes a good one though!

Answer 9

It's one of the few cases where I admit to classifying:
1) Beethoven
2) Brahms
3) a wide gap
4) Mozart's 5 concerts
5) Haydn's 4 concerts
6) an even wider gap
7) Mendelssohn
8) Tchaikovski
9) Dvorak
10) a good gap
11)Bruch
12) Sibelius
13) Berg

I intentionally left out Bach (It's a different type of violin concert, otherwise they'd be no.1) and virtuosists (Paganini and Wieniawski), they also belong to a different kind.

Answer 10

I think Bruch's 'Violin concerto' topped the classic FM charts for a couple of years running, although my favourite piece of classical violin music 'The lark ascending' by Ralph Vaughan-Williams knocked it off the top spot this year. Log onto Classic FM and type in your question, they will give you the answer.