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Your Favorite Concertos

Posted by: Todd A on 19 March 2002

All right, time for another batch of favorites. As with the prior threads the intention is to find out what people find themselves listening to frequently rather than a list of the “greatest” concertos. There will no doubt be much overlap.

With concertos there is that extra, special dimension of the soloist. Usually one listens to a concerto for either the solo instrument part or for the specific artist(s) involved; as good as accompanying conductors can be, the soloist ultimate determines the value of the recording. I’ll include some of my favorite recordings, but not many. Any surprises or omissions? Surprises, well, I don’t know, but the are certainly some omissions. Take ol’ Ludwig van: only two of his seven concertos appear. Mozart has a rather nice showing, owing no doubt to the fact that I think he is the finest composer of concertos; he just seems to have had a knack for mixing solo and orchestral part writing. There is also a preponderance of piano concertos. Here goes:

Beethoven – Piano Concerto No 1 (Schnabel / Sargent), Piano Concerto No 5 (Pollini / Bohm or Schnabel / Galliera)

Bartok – Piano Concerto No 1 (Schiff / Fischer), Piano Concerto No 2 (Anda / Fricsay), Viola Concerto (Kashkashian / Eotvos), Violin Concertos 1 & 2 (Stern / Bernstein)

Stravinsky – Violin Concerto (Stern / Stravinsky or Mutter / Sacher), Ebony Concerto (Goodman / Stravinsky), Dumbarton Oaks Concerto

Mozart – Violin Concertos 1 & 5, Horn Concertos 2 & 3 (Brain / Karajan, of course), Piano Concertos Nos 11, 16, and 20 – 27 (Annie Fischer does a mighty fine 20th with Adrian Boult)

Dvorak – Cello Concerto (THE cello concerto with lots o’ good versions)

Haydn – D Major Cello Concerto

Ligeti – Piano Concerto (Aimard / Boulez), Violin Concerto (Gawriloff / Boulez)

Dutilleux – Cello Concerto (Rostropovich / Baudo)

Shostakovich – Piano Concertos 1 & 2, Cello Concertos 1 (Rostropovich / Ormandy) & 2

Prokofiev – Piano Concertos 1, 2 & 3 (Prokofiev / Coppola)

Schulhoff – Piano Concerto No 1

Brahms – Piano Concertos 1 (Pollini / Abbado [1997]) & 2 (Gilels / Jochum)

Ravel – Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Zimerman / Boulez)

Szymanowski – Violin Concerto No 2

Piston – Violin Concerto No 1

Debussy – Fantasie for Piano and Orchestra (Gieseking / Schroeder)

Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in E Minor (I can’t help it)

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by Greg Beatty
Rachmaninov piano conchertos - Try Horowitz or Van Cliburn on #s 2 & 3. And the Tschaikowsky #1. I've loved these on vinyl since time began.

- GregB

Insert Witty Signature Line Here

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by Former member
Bartok Piano Concertos - Geza Anda/Fricsay, or Argerich/Dutoit

Prokofiev Piano Concertos - Argerich/Dutoit or Toradze/Gergiev

Bartok Violin Concertos - Chung/Solti

Beethoven Violin Concerto - Mutter/Karajan, Zehetmair/Bruggen, Schneiderhan/Jochum or Hilary Hahn/Zinman

Beethoven Piano Concertos - Argerich/Sinopoli (1 and 2), Kempff/Leitner or van Kempen, Ashkenazy/Cleveland (no. 5

Berg Violin Concerto - Chung/Solti

Brahms Piano concertos - Gilels/Jochum, Curzon/Szell (no. 1) and Pollni/Abbado (first recording; no 2)

Brahms Violin Concerto - Chung/Rattle

Chopin Piano Concertos - Argerich/Dutoit and Pollini/Kletzki (no 1)

Dvorak Piano Concerto - Schiff/Dohnanyi or Richter/Kleiber

Dvorak Violin Concerto - Suwanai/Fischer

Dvorak Cello Concerto - Fournier/Szell

Elgar Violin Concerto - Menuhin/Boult

Elgar Cello Concerto - du Pre (of course)

Grieg Piano Concerto - Lupu/Previn or Kovacevich/Davis

Schumann Piano Concerto - Lupu/Previn or Kovacevich/Davis

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto - Suwanai/Ashkenazy

Sibelius Violin Concerto - Mullova/Ozawa

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto - Mullova/Ozawa

Mozart Violin Concertos - Mutter/Karajan (3 and 5), Frank/Zinman

Mozart Piano Concertos - Brendel/Marriner and many others

Rachmaninov Piano Concertos - Ashkenazy/Previn and Argerich/Chailly (no. 3)

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 - Argerich/Kondrashin

Ravel Piano Concerto - Argerich/Abbado

Shostakovich Violin Concertos - Mordkovitch/Jarvi

Shostakovich Cello concertos - Schiff/Maxim Shostakovich

Ross

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by herm
Bach: Double Cto for Violin & Oboe: Mullova
Double Cto for two Violins

Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante: the Oistrakhs
Piano Ctos:
453 G: Perahia
482 E flat: Uchida
491 c: Lupu
575 B flat: Haebler

Tchaikovsky: Violin Cto: (many, many, Vengerov / Abbado)

Schumann: Piano Cto (Helene Grimaud / Zinman)
Cello Cto; (Schiff / Haitink)

Mendelsohnn: Violin cto (Amoyal)
Brahms: Piano Cto 2: (Haitink / Boston, or: Gilels / Jochum / Berlin)
Violin Cto: (Chung / Rattle)

Reger: Piano Cto (Serkin / Ormandy)

Ravel: Piano Ctos: ca depend a lot

Rachmaninov: 4th Piano Cto

Stravinsky: Lin / Salonen (pref with the Balachine included: the ballet's a hoot)

Poulenc; the one piano cto

Prokofiev:Piano Ctos 2 and 3: Toradze / Gergiev
Violin Ctos 1 & 2: Oistrakh
Cello Sinfonia Ctante: Maisky / Pletnev

Walton: Violin and Cello Conerto (Chung / Ma)

Shostakovich: 2nd Violin Cto: Oistrakh
2 nd Cello Cto: Mork / Jansson

Dutilleux: Violin Cto: (Van Keulen / Soustrot) been lovin' it too long

Ligeti: (Aimard / Boulez)

Herman

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by Phil Barry
Todd, Ross, Herm,

Thanks for your erudite and unusual listings.

To add my 2 pence:

Beethoven:

Pno Ctos - Kempff, Rudolph Serkin
Violin - Huberman, Francescatti/Walter, plus the usual suspects

Brahms:

Pno 1 - boy, I'd love to hear the Curzon/Szell
Pno 2 - Fischer/Furtwangler on M&A CD941 (all the brahms symphonies plus), Fleisher/Szell
Vln - Vengerov/Barenboim

Rachmaninov:

Rachmaninov himself, with Stoky and Ormandy

Sibelius:
Vln - it's still Heifetz for me

Dvorak:
Cello - Starker/Dorati

All:
anything recorded by Argerich :-)

Phil

[This message was edited by Phil Barry on TUESDAY 19 March 2002 at 23:45.]

[This message was edited by Phil Barry on TUESDAY 19 March 2002 at 23:46.]

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by Former member
I have been patiently waiting for someone to pick some trivial concerto, point out that this is without question the greatest of all concertos, make some obscure reference to Bruckner symphonies and Furtwangler, and then call us all sissies before departing.

A classical music thread just isn't the same without this.

Ross

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by Former member
The only thing that saves concertos from the bottom of the pile is that a conductor is at least partially involved. Still, there is one work that's entirely respectable with no excuses: Hans Werner Henze's "Tristan" (Preludes for piano, tapes and orchestra). Yes, yes, the composer doesn't actually call it a concerto, but it is.

If pressed, I'd also add Mozart's 20th piano concerto (Gardiner with some sissy on fortepiano) and Shostakovich's first violin concerto (no really good recording yet made and certainly not what Ross suggests). Finally, on one of those days, which occurs (at best) three times in one's life, when you've met an extroardinary woman and are afflicted with justifiable sentimental excess, a quick listen to the Sibelius Violin Concerto (Kavakos on BIS) can be forgiven. Otherwise, a clever segment lasting about 15 seconds from the opening movement of Beethoven's 1st piano concerto (the early Kovacevich on Philips) is about all that's left, if you wish to maintain your honour and masculinity.

Almost forgot Bach's harpsichord concerti. Quite acceptable, but not if played on a bloody piano.

BTW--for the sake of forum stability, I am going to pretend I didn't see anyone mention Rachmaninov.

Vuk.

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by Former member
Thank you, Vuk. All is now well.

Ross

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by fred simon
I have many, many favorites, but right now I just wanna mention one: Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major (for two hands wink ), especially the slow movement (and this is a huge "especially" because it's one of favorite pieces of music of any genre, any era, by far).

As far as recorded performances, I love Pascal Roge with the Montreal Symphony conducted by Charles Dutoit.

And an intriguing and beautiful alternate view of the slow movement is played by Herbie Hancock on his album Gershwin's World, in which he plays the written left hand part but morphs between written and improvised in the right. Very cool.

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by herm
Cool Ravel

I wonder how Ravel would feel about Hancock ad libbing this piece. Ravel took such pains getting it absolutely right. Never an easy-going composer he wrote this mvt bar by bar, not more than two bars a day, constantly referring to the Mozart clarinet quintet slow mvt (or was it the concerto?), which he used as a model for the melody's shape.

Herman

Posted on: 20 March 2002 by Pete
The concerto I listen to most is Rodriguez's Concerto D'Aranjuez. There's just so much light in there...

Pete.

Posted on: 20 March 2002 by fred simon
quote:
Originally posted by herm:
_Cool Ravel_

I wonder how Ravel would feel about Hancock ad libbing this piece. Ravel took such pains getting it absolutely right. Never an easy-going composer he wrote this mvt bar by bar, not more than two bars a day, constantly referring to the _Mozart clarinet quintet_ slow mvt (or was it the concerto?), which he used as a model for the melody's shape.

Herman

Good question. I'd like to think that he'd be hip enough to dig it if it sounded good, which it does because it's Herbie. We do know that Ravel was very enamored of American jazz, but that was circa 1930, not 1998. On the other hand, Herbie's approach is respectful and in keeping with the melodic and harmonic context of the piece, he doesn't go "out." On the third hand, Ravel may have dug the sounds of jazz, but not necessarily the process of it.

So, who knows? Let's hold a seance and ask him.

Posted on: 20 March 2002 by Darius
Hi,
quite intersting CD with concertos:
1) Rachmaninow/Piano concerto no2
Tchaikowski/Piano conc. no1 S.Richter/Wisłocki/ Karajan DG
2)Brahms/Piano conc. 1&2 / Gilels/Jochum DG
3)Chopin/Piano conc. 1&2 /Zimerman DG
4)Mendelssohn/ Violin conc. / Grumaux/ Haitink
5)Bach/Oboe conc./ The English Concert/Archiv
6)Telemann /oboe concertos / Concentus Musicus Wien/ Teldec
7)Mozart/Piano concertos/ Pollini, Brandel
8)Bach/Brandenburg conc./ Maksymiuk/Polish Chamber Orch.
9)Mozart/Clarinet concerto/ Brymer (?)
10)Stravinski / Danses Concertantes/ (?)Naxos
This is my first view...
Posted on: 29 March 2002 by garth
Fred. Have you heard the Michalangeli recording of the Ravel G major? You're in for a treat if you haven't. The Argerich recording is also pretty great.

When's Herbie going to do a version of the third movement?

Garth

Posted on: 29 March 2002 by fred simon
quote:
Originally posted by garth:
Fred. Have you heard the Michalangeli recording of the Ravel G major? You're in for a treat if you haven't. The Argerich recording is also pretty great.

Thanks, I'll have to check these out. What do particularly like about them?

Posted on: 29 March 2002 by Keith Mattox
quote:
Originally posted by fred simon:
Quote: "Originally posted by garth:
Fred. Have you heard the Michalangeli recording of the Ravel G major? You're in for a treat if you haven't. The Argerich recording is also pretty great."

Thanks, I'll have to check these out. What do particularly like about them?

The Michelangelli (sp?) is stellar and I think it's the standard for Ravel's Concerto - get it.

It's on Phillips "Great Pianists" series, I think it's in the first disk for that pianist.

Cheers

Keith.

Mana cretin

Posted on: 30 March 2002 by garth
Fred. Michelangelli's range of tonal colour, control of line, voicing and rubato, pedal technique, and creativity of interpretation and nuance are quite miraculous. I agree that his Ravel is probably the greatest. Argerich is perhaps more impassioned and brilliant but I'd take Michalangelli in a pinch even though Argerich's Ravel performance is one of her greatest and I am a huge Argerich fan. Given how much you love this concerto I'd think you may want both in your collection. Yuo should be able to find used vinyl copies quite easily - at least you can here on the West Coast.
The original vinyl michelangelli is backed with the Rachmaninoff 4th and Martha's comes with Prokofief 3rd. One of Martha's best album covers with her smoking - in more ways than one - while chatting with her ex Claudio Abaddo (sp.?).;
Posted on: 30 March 2002 by fred simon
The endorsements here of Michelangeli's Ravel G major sound too good to pass up. One question: how is the orchestra? Are they in tune? I have a recording of Entremont/Ormandy/Philadelphia and the intonation problems ruin it for me.
Posted on: 30 March 2002 by Keith Mattox
quote:
Originally posted by fred simon:

The endorsements here of Michelangeli's Ravel G major sound too good to pass up. One question: how is the orchestra? Are they in tune? I have a recording of Entremont/Ormandy/Philadelphia and the intonation problems ruin it for me.

It works for me. I wouldn't be surprised if you're more sensitive to it than I am.

Just go for it big grin

Cheers

Keith.

Mana cretin

Posted on: 02 April 2002 by Former member
At least I think that's what it's called.

I heard it played by the BBC Orchestra yesterday afternoon and thought it enchanting.

Can anyone recommend a version of this on CD?

Ta, Nick

Posted on: 04 April 2002 by Todd A
Gieseking did a wonderful version of the Fantasie for EMI. Only downside (if you can call it that) is that it only comes as part of the four CD set of all of Debussy's piano music. Oh, and it's in mono, though good sounding mono.
Posted on: 04 April 2002 by Former member
quote:
Originally posted by Todd Arola:
Oh, and it's in mono, though good sounding mono.

I'm going to get flamed for being an
audiophile (and an ungrateful one at that), but...<puts on whiney voice> isn't there something more modern?

Posted on: 04 April 2002 by herm
Debussy's Piano Fantaisie

Nick,

I suspect there are at least two modern recordings available.

Try and get hold of Zoltan Kocsic's volume of the Great Pianist of the 20th C series. It's got a lot of interesting stuff on it, among which a performance of the Debussy piece with Ivan Fisher and the Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Or you could look for Anne Queffelec (don't you just love the name of this woman?) who recorded the piece with Yan Pascl Tortelier and the Ulster Orchestra for Chandos. By now it's on a bargain Enchant disc with a lot if Debussy orchestral material.

I'd look for the Philips disc first.

Herman

Posted on: 25 April 2002 by Former member
The Zoltan Kocsis Debussy Fantasie came today and it really fits the bill. The piece really should fit into Todd's "Explore The Unknown" thread - it's very good and you hardly hear it.

The rest of the disks are good too. I already had the Bartok and solo piano Debussy, but there's good stuff by Grieg , Liszt, Rachmaninov and Dohnanyi that I don't have.