The Ten Most Famous Violin Concertos of all Time
It's really not that easy to put the best known violin concertos in order from "very well known" (tenth place) to "most well known” (first place). Is Brahms's really better known than Bruch's? Was Bruch's maybe more regularly played a couple of decades ago than it is now? And if so, why?
Read more…- Bach • Concerto for Violin, Strings and Basso continuo in A minor BWV 1041 • I. (Allegro)Concerto for Violin, Strings and Basso continuo in A minor BWV 1041
I. (Allegro)Berliner Barock Solisten
Frank Peter Zimmermann (Violin)2017 - Bach • Concerto for Violin, Strings and Basso continuo in A minor BWV 1041 • II. AndanteConcerto for Violin, Strings and Basso continuo in A minor BWV 1041
II. AndanteBerliner Barock Solisten
Frank Peter Zimmermann (Violin)2017 - Bach • Concerto for Violin, Strings and Basso continuo in A minor BWV 1041 • III. Allegro assaiConcerto for Violin, Strings and Basso continuo in A minor BWV 1041
III. Allegro assaiBerliner Barock Solisten
Frank Peter Zimmermann (Violin)2017 - Paganini • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in B minor op. 7 MS 48 “La Campanella” • I. Allegro maestosoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in B minor op. 7 MS 48
I. Allegro maestosoKristóf Baráti (Violin), Eiji Oue
NDR Radiophilharmonie℗ 2009 - Paganini • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in B minor op. 7 MS 48 “La Campanella” • II. AdagioConcerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in B minor op. 7 MS 48
II. AdagioKristóf Baráti (Violin), Eiji Oue
NDR Radiophilharmonie℗ 2009 - Paganini • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in B minor op. 7 MS 48 “La Campanella” • III. Rondò "La campanella"Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in B minor op. 7 MS 48
III. Rondò "La campanella"Kristóf Baráti (Violin), Eiji Oue
NDR Radiophilharmonie℗ 2009 - Sibelius • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor op. 47 • I. Allegro moderatoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor op. 47
I. Allegro moderatoVilde Frang (Violin), Thomas Søndergård
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln℗ 2009 - Sibelius • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor op. 47 • II. Adagio di moltoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor op. 47
II. Adagio di moltoVilde Frang (Violin), Thomas Søndergård
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln℗ 2009 - Sibelius • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor op. 47 • III. Allegro ma non tantoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor op. 47
III. Allegro ma non tantoVilde Frang (Violin), Thomas Søndergård
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln℗ 2009 - Mozart • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 5 in A major KV 219 “Turkish” • I. Allegro apertoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 5 in A major KV 219
I. Allegro apertoThomas Zehetmair (Violin), Frans Brüggen
Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century℗ 2008 - Mozart • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 5 in A major KV 219 “Turkish” • II. AdagioConcerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 5 in A major KV 219
II. AdagioThomas Zehetmair (Violin), Frans Brüggen
Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century℗ 2008 - Mozart • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 5 in A major KV 219 “Turkish” • III. Rondeau. Tempo di MenuettoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 5 in A major KV 219
III. Rondeau. Tempo di MenuettoThomas Zehetmair (Violin), Frans Brüggen
Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century℗ 2008 - Bruch • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G minor op. 26 • I. Allegro moderatoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G minor op. 26
I. Allegro moderatoItzhak Perlman (Violin), Bernard Haitink
Concertgebouworkest℗ 2015 - Bruch • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G minor op. 26 • II. AdagioConcerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G minor op. 26
II. AdagioItzhak Perlman (Violin), Bernard Haitink
Concertgebouworkest℗ 2015 - Bruch • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G minor op. 26 • III. Finale. Allegro energicoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G minor op. 26
III. Finale. Allegro energicoItzhak Perlman (Violin), Bernard Haitink
Concertgebouworkest℗ 2015 - Brahms • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 77 • I. Allegro non troppoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 77
I. Allegro non troppoIsabelle Faust (Violin), Daniel Harding
Mahler Chamber Orchestra℗ 2011 - Brahms • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 77 • II. AdagioConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 77
II. AdagioIsabelle Faust (Violin), Daniel Harding
Mahler Chamber Orchestra℗ 2011 - Brahms • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 77 • III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivaceConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 77
III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivaceIsabelle Faust (Violin), Daniel Harding
Mahler Chamber Orchestra℗ 2011 - Beethoven • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 61 • I. Allegro ma non troppoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 61
I. Allegro ma non troppoArabella Steinbacher (Violin), Andris Nelsons
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln2008, Kölner Philharmonie - Beethoven • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 61 • II. LarghettoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 61
II. LarghettoArabella Steinbacher (Violin), Andris Nelsons
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln2008, Kölner Philharmonie - Beethoven • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 61 • III. RondoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 61
III. RondoArabella Steinbacher (Violin), Andris Nelsons
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln2008, Kölner Philharmonie - Tchaikovsky • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 35 TH 59 • I. Allegro moderatoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 35 TH 59
I. Allegro moderatoVadim Gluzman (Violin), Andrew Litton
Bergen Filharmoniske OrkesterAugust 2007, Bergen, Grieg Hall Bergen - Tchaikovsky • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 35 TH 59 • II. Canzonetta. AndanteConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 35 TH 59
II. Canzonetta. AndanteVadim Gluzman (Violin), Andrew Litton
Bergen Filharmoniske OrkesterAugust 2007, Bergen, Grieg Hall Bergen - Tchaikovsky • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 35 TH 59 • III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 35 TH 59
III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimoVadim Gluzman (Violin), Andrew Litton
Bergen Filharmoniske OrkesterAugust 2007, Bergen, Grieg Hall Bergen - Mendelssohn Bartholdy • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor op. 64 MWV O 14 • I. Allegro molto appassionatoConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor op. 64 MWV O 14
I. Allegro molto appassionatoChristian Tetzlaff (Violin), Paavo Järvi
hr-Sinfonieorchester2008, Frankfurt, Alte Oper - Mendelssohn Bartholdy • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor op. 64 MWV O 14 • II. AndanteConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor op. 64 MWV O 14
II. AndanteChristian Tetzlaff (Violin), Paavo Järvi
hr-Sinfonieorchester2008, Frankfurt, Alte Oper - Mendelssohn Bartholdy • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor op. 64 MWV O 14 • III. Allegro non troppo – Allegro molto vivaceConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor op. 64 MWV O 14
III. Allegro non troppo – Allegro molto vivaceChristian Tetzlaff (Violin), Paavo Järvi
hr-Sinfonieorchester2008, Frankfurt, Alte Oper - Vivaldi • Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) op. 8/1-4 • L'estate (Summer) RV 315 • I. Allegro non molto – AllegroLe quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) op. 8/1-4
L'estate (Summer) RV 315 • I. Allegro non molto – AllegroLa Petite Bande
Sara Kuijken (Violin), Luís Otávio Santos (Violin), Dmitry Badiarov (Violin), Sigiswald Kuijken (Violin)℗ 2007 - Vivaldi • Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) op. 8/1-4 • L'estate (Summer) RV 315 • II. AdagioLe quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) op. 8/1-4
L'estate (Summer) RV 315 • II. AdagioLa Petite Bande
Sara Kuijken (Violin), Luís Otávio Santos (Violin), Dmitry Badiarov (Violin), Sigiswald Kuijken (Violin)℗ 2007 - Vivaldi • Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) op. 8/1-4 • L'estate (Summer) RV 315 • III. PrestoLe quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) op. 8/1-4
L'estate (Summer) RV 315 • III. PrestoLa Petite Bande
Sara Kuijken (Violin), Luís Otávio Santos (Violin), Dmitry Badiarov (Violin), Sigiswald Kuijken (Violin)℗ 2007
Another difficulty comes from the fact that the "violin concertos" of Vivaldi and Bach – neither composer really understood the genre in the way we do – really aren't violin concertos in the classic 19th-century sense. The soloist isn't foregrounded in the same ways as she is in those Brahms and Tchaikovsky works with their large-scale cadenzas.
Ultimately, it is the soloist who is decisive when it comes to making the listening experience enjoyable – their form day-in, day-out in concert, their specific aesthetic approach at the studio recording. And all this, of course, has to be realised in the context of close collaboration with conductor and orchestra.
So, let the countdown begin. In tenth position, it's Bach's A minor concerto, followed by Paganini's Second, Sibelius, and Mozart's A major. Bruch makes it to sixth, Brahms to fifth and Beethoven comes in fourth. At number three it's Tchaikovsky, and in second place Mendelssohn's E minor concerto. And the winner: Vivaldi's "Summer" from 'The Four Seasons'. Although it could just as easily have been "Spring" – as long as there's sun!