20th Century Violin Concertos

[Serial_Apologist]

Schnittke Violin 4 was the first Schnittke I ever heard live, in 2001, and I haven’t heard it since. Going to buy it eventually. Just finished ploughing through all the symphonies.

Berg is probably my favourite 20th century one. Stravinsky is certainly different! That would make a change on the television.

One that’s not mentioned is Henze. Might buy that one as well! Almost finished ploughing through all the symphonies, with only no.8 left.

Currently ploughing through the Bartok,(Naxos) and I must say, still don’t understand them yet!

3VS

P.S. er, Mahler????

There are 2 Henze's - an early neo-classical piece and the second part musical theatre and very witty, from 1972.

Hiow about Ligeti's - it's got to be included among the 20th C greats, surely?

[ahinton]

About Szymanowski 2 I am in two minds: it's a great concerto without doubt, but at many places the orchestration is too heavy to have the solo part heard where it is meant to be heard. Perhaps that's why it's more popular on records than in the concert hall.

Much depends on the sensitivity of the conductor and the soloist's ability top project; I've heard this concerto in some performances where the soloist seems to get overpowered on occasion and others when this simply doesn't happen. If anything, I fear that, in live performance, it tends simply to get overshadowed by no. 1!

[Suffolkcoastal]

Of the concerti I listed, I would certainly suggest that the Piston 1st concerto (also possibly the 2nd), Moeran, William Schuman and Tubin 1st deserve to be in the regular repetoire, along with from others' suggestions, both of Martinu's, Miaskovsky's and the Vainberg/Weinberg.

[3rd Viennese School]

I taped Ligetti ages ago and never played the tape! I think I might of heard it originally on the radio, probably whilst recording it, heard the discussion on it, and it probably put me off!

When up town buying the holiday CDs it was between Bartok and Henze. I didnt want to be playing 4 violin concertos on my holiday! Got the Bartok as I heard them recently on the proms and wanted to explore further.Just out of educational interest. Henze will follow eventually of course!

3VS

[Roehre]

There are 2 Henze's - an early neo-classical piece and the second part musical theatre and very witty, from 1972.

Hiow about Ligeti's - it's got to be included among the 20th C greats, surely?

It's even better: there are 3 Henze violin concertos, the early one (1947/'48), the 2nd theatrical one (1971) and the third, "Dr.Faustus", from 1997.

Chris Newman mentioned the Ligeti, btw.

3VS, from when dates your Ligeti tape?
You might have a recording of the piece before this 1990 piece was thouroughly revised by the composer in 1992.
If the violinist is Victor Liebermann, you might have the 1st version.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

How about Ligeti's - it's got to be included among the 20th C greats, surely?

I totally agree, S-A: it was the fifth on my original "handful".

I'm delighted at the response so far: and rather ashamed that there are so many I've never heard (of). The Mahler Violin Concerto is one of the works performed and recorded in the Concertgebeouw (along with all fifteen Symphonies and the three then-recent String Quartets in which he first fully adopted his friend Schönberg's Twelve Note) during the composer's 75th birthday celebrations. Well, that's my "dream" Mahler cycle!)

For personal reasons, the one I'm most intrigued by is the Ronald Stevenson Concerto mentioned by Alistair in #13: I was taught Piano by a friend of Stevenson's from their time together at the Manchester College of Music. My lessons coincided with the work's composition (a Menuhin commission) and, because I was enthusiastic about the DSCH Passacaglia, she gave me occasional reports about its long gestation. Sadly, I've never heard of a performance of the piece since its premiere, and have never heard the work!

Best Wishes.

[teamsaint]

wouldnt it be great if there was one of these played on R3 every week for the next year at a set time... like thursday afternoon opera, but shorter and better !!

[Simon]

Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and that is about it.

About it. Yep. Nothing much there to write home about.

One doesn't know whether to laugh or cry when one reads comments like that!!

[teamsaint]

About it. Yep. Nothing much there to write home about.

One doesn't know whether to laugh or cry when one reads comments like that!!

you are funny.

[Chris Newman]

About it. Yep. Nothing much there to write home about.

One doesn't know whether to laugh or cry when one reads comments like that!!

Yes, Simon. But it does help to read the next sentence:

Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and that is about it.
Kreuzer, Sarasate and Spohr wrote some nice oddities but nothing as great.

[Byas'd Opinion]

Anyone got any thoughts about the Tüür concerto? I'm not totally convinced by it: he's got a very interesting style, combining elements of minimalism and post-Darmstadt modernism, but I'm not sure the piece goes anywhere. I like his cello concerto a lot, though, so I'm not totally writing him off as a composer.

And while we're in the post-Soviet Baltic, there's the Vasks concerto. I'm generally not fond of Pärt style "holy minimalism", but this is a genuinely lovely piece. There are at least three commercial recordings available.

[EdgeleyRob]

How about RVW in D minor ('Concerto Accademico') for those in neo-classical mood?

Sadly and unjustly neglected, as are Finzi and Dyson which have already been mentioned.

[Roehre]

Anyone got any thoughts about the Tüür concerto? I'm not totally convinced by it: he's got a very interesting style, combining elements of minimalism and post-Darmstadt modernism, but I'm not sure the piece goes anywhere. I like his cello concerto a lot, though, so I'm not totally writing him off as a composer.

I am afraid I share your opinion, one reason why I haven't mentioned Tüür in my list.

And while we're in the post-Soviet Baltic, there's the Vasks concerto. I'm generally not fond of Pärt style "holy minimalism", but this is a genuinely lovely piece. There are at least three commercial recordings available.

Though the Vasks concerto is IMO certainly a more interesting piece than Tüür, I am not convinced that style and contents are covering each other here either, I'm afraid.

[3rd Viennese School]

My Ligeti is mid-2000s? 2005, 2006? Not sure.

I obviously like the Shoshtakovich no.1 but it does have too many slow things in it. Mvt 2 is fantastic, of course.

Shame this wasn't Cello Concertos. I could have chosen Shoshtakovich 2 (his best concerto) and Schnittke 2, especially mvt 2. You lot have got to hear that mvt!

[Ariosto]

The Stravinsky is wonderful!

So are the Bartok's and the Shostakovich's.

Simon should have his ears syringed!!