Gentlemen, I need some help. I'd like to know what are some unsung violin concertos to listen to. I've got by Raff, Stanford, Reinecke, Eduard Franck, Gernsheim, there must surely be many others. Thanks in advance.
Erkki Merlartin's Violin concerto
Eduard Lassen's and Philip Scharwenka's, coupled on a Hyperion Romantic Violin Concertos series CD. Both excellent works, as is Goldmark's concerto, available on several CDs.
Gade, Dietrich, H.Graedener/Grädener, Borgström, Koczalski, Rubinstein, Svendsen, Sinding (x3), Dubois, Mlynarski (x2), Juon (x3), Herzogenberg, Graener, Klingler, Schillings, Weingartner, Vieuxtemps (x5), Wieniawski (x2), Goetz, Glazunov, Busoni, Aulin (x3), Karlowicz, Suk (Fantasy), Somervell, Lassen, Godard, Moszkowski, Bortkiewicz, Joachim (x3), Röntgen in A minor, Klughardt, Hubay (x4), Widor, Lalo (x2), and many more...
Concertos in bold type are favourites of mine.
Petr Podkovyrov's Concerto -Poem for Violin and Orchestra Podkovyrov is a Belarusian composer and studied under Vasili Zolotarev (who studied under Rimsky-Korsakov). Tht recording is at the Art-Music Forum and I have a copy of the full score.
QuotePetr Podkovyrov's Concerto -Poem for Violin and Orchestra Podkovyrov is a Belarusian composer and studied under Vasili Zolotarev (who studied under Rimsky-Korsakov). Tht recording is at the Art-Music Forum and I have a copy of the full score.
Interesting. Could I get I direct link to the recording though? I'm not wild about searching for things... :)
http://www.mediafire.com/?7619d3pg0ur71sd
L. Gorelik, Violin
B. Afanasiev - conductor
Belarussian State Symphony Orchestra
actually a very nice piece... on the Accord label 10" LP...kinda dusty but nice melodies throughout the piece.
Source: Melodiya LP recording
2010 is the centennial of the birth of Petr Petrovich Podkovyrov. One of the first composition graduates of the Belarusian State Conservatoire in Minsk (in 1937), he studied composition with Vasily Andreyevich Zolotaryov, who himself had studied with Mily Balakirev and Anatoly Liadov and later with Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Thus Podkovyrov's "compositional ancestry" can be traced to the 19th century group of Russian nationalist composers known as "The Five."
During the Great Patriotic War (Russian term for World War II) Podkovyrov evacuated 1200 miles southeast from Minsk to Maikop in the Caucasus mountains. It was during this evacuation (1943-44) that he composed 24 Preludes. After the war he was invited to teach at the Belarusian State Conservatoire (now the Belarusian State Academy of Music).
Thank you good Sir for the download and interesting info on Podkovyrov.
Schoeck, Respighi ("All'Antica" and Gregoriano), Wolf-Ferrari, Hahn, Arensky, Castelnuovo-Tedesco ("Italiano" and "I Profeti"), Berwald
QuoteI'm not wild about searching for things...
Start with Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk - or Presto Classical and jpc.de.
How on earth do you think we find these works?
My eyesights not the best... I struggle with eye strain looking at screens.
Quote from: dhibbard on Thursday 26 December 2019, 06:35
Petr Podkovyrov's Concerto -Poem for Violin and Orchestra Podkovyrov is a Belarusian composer and studied under Vasili Zolotarev (who studied under Rimsky-Korsakov). Tht recording is at the Art-Music Forum and I have a copy of the full score.
Surely Podkovyrov/Подковыров (or Padkavyrau/Падкавыраў to give him his name in Belarusian) is FAR outside the remit of this forum? Born in 1910 as you say...
Quote from: Alan Howe on Wednesday 25 December 2019, 20:59
....Rubinstein,
Alan - is there a particular recording of it that you recommend? I have only listened to the Naxos with Takako Nishizaki on the violin with the Slovak Philharmonic under Michael Halasz, and thought that it was the most boring piece of music I had ever heard (just honestly saying what I thought at the time). Admittedly that was on first listening, but I didn't give it another go, and it was about 10 years ago....
Quote from: Kevin S on Wednesday 25 December 2019, 10:56
Gentlemen, I need some help. I'd like to know what are some unsung violin concertos to listen to. I've got by Raff, Stanford, Reinecke, Eduard Franck, Gernsheim, there must surely be many others. Thanks in advance.
There are various versions of The Last Confession of Job by Artur Kapp, for violin and strong/full orchestra - available for download here - http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,5673.msg72919.html#msg72919 (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,5673.msg72919.html#msg72919) - one of my favourite works for violin and orchestra.
Also, for violin and orchestra - the Adagio of Mavka and Lukash, from the ballet Song of the Forest, by Mykhaylo Skorulskyi - available for download here - http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6035.msg67808.html#msg67808 (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6035.msg67808.html#msg67808)
I'm not the biggest fan of Rubinstein myself. He ramblings very badly IMO and he's not coherent at all with the exception of The Demon. If there's a stellar recording of his violin Concerto I'd like to hear it too - otherwise I'll skip it. Has anyone ever noticed his tempo markings all seem to be marked moderato? Weird.
Strange... to me the Rubinstein Violin concerto is the most "un-rambling" piece of his.
Christopher wrote:
QuoteSurely Podkovyrov/Подковыров (or Padkavyrau/Падкавыраў to give him his name in Belarusian) is FAR outside the remit of this forum? Born in 1910 as you say...
On date grounds yes, but of course we do make exceptions where a work qualifies stylistically. I must say that Podkovyrov's work is, stylistically speaking, a real curate's egg - it's all over the place. It's Christmas and I'm feeling uncharacteristically generous, so I might raise an eyebrow, but no more :). That said, I can't find much merit in the work, but no doubt that's just me.
The Rubinstein VC on Naxos is superbly done:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001M017A4/ref=dm_cd_album_lnk (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001M017A4/ref=dm_cd_album_lnk)
And dirt cheap!
Try the Gade - its gorgeous:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7981355--romantic-violin-concertos (https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7981355--romantic-violin-concertos)
Cheap download here (in a rather more loving performance, my personal favourite):
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7946524--ole-schmidt-gunnar-jansson-oresundssymfonin (https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7946524--ole-schmidt-gunnar-jansson-oresundssymfonin)
Lovely. I appreciate the links Alan. :)
...and the Dietrich:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7977516--dietrich-symphony-violin-concerto (https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7977516--dietrich-symphony-violin-concerto)
Utterly sublime.
York Bowen's violin concerto is a big, wonderful piece, one of his best, imho. It doesn't hurt that the Dutton recording features fabulous playing by Lorraine McAslan.
I second Alan's suggestion of Dietrich. for me this is a masterpiece. One can see why he was in the inner Brahms circle.
Joachim wrote several, premiered Brahms I think, Herzogenberg wrote one and a Rondo for vn and orch, Brahms discounted him until late in life when he said "Herzogenberg is able to do more than any of the others." (wiki). I am not in a position to put myself down for not listening only to "masterpieces".
Although not the biggest fan of the format, I have to admit being partial to the concertos of the Hungarian Jenö Hubay, lovingly recorded by Hungaroton and Hyperion. Wonderfully melodic, combining rhapsodic passages with more lyric ones of real depth.
Wow, the Rubinstein violin concerto is pretty good hey! I'm quite surprised and delighted by the work and the performance mentioned above. I'll turn to this from now on rather the ubiquitous Tchaikovksy which I've gotten sick of in recent years. Good for you Rubinstein!
QuoteJoachim wrote several
I'd forgotten about Joachim. His 2nd Concerto, the "Hungarian" is highly recommendable: a magnificent, large-scale work which is similar to Brahms' Concerto in scale and tone, although it pre-dates it by 21 years.
Yes, I've heard the Joachim 2nd. Very beautiful and lovely orchestration , he was better in that department than Brahms.
Try the Klughardt - a magnificent beast with a first movement that defines maestoso, meditative middle movement suffixed by a curious recitative intro a la Beethoven's 4th piano concerto middle movement and concludes with a cheery Rustic dance finale.
I have always had a soft spot for Spohr's VC no.8, in which the solo violin assumes the character of an operatic diva. A lively, melodic and exhilarating work IMHO.
Is Myaskovsky's violin concerto (D minor, 1938) too modern for our remit?
One can now hear both versions (the original, in the work's premiere and I think the original version's only performance, as played by Oistrakh, in several different Brilliant Classics reissues or for about $10 download at Amazon ("Classical Treasures Composer Series: Nikolai Myaskovsky, Vol. 1"))...- the revision has received a fair number of recordings.)
Two violin concertos I'd like to see recorded: Horsley and Litolff.
Ahem! This isn't a wish-list! Kevin S asked for recommendations of VCs to listen to beyond the ones he listed...
The finest unsung Romantic violin concerto I know is Hamilton Harty's...still, astonishingly, only available in Ralph Holmes old, but fine, recording. Worthy to be ranked alongside Dvorak's and Glazunov's. Delius was a fan although it doesn't sound anything like him.
Quote from: Revilod on Thursday 02 January 2020, 11:11
Worthy to be ranked alongside Dvorak's and Glazunov's.
High praise.
I've been happy with the suggestions so far... keep them coming!
Sergei Bortkiewicz - Lyrical Intermezzo for Violin & Orchestra 'Des Frühlings und des Pan Erwachen' - download as per here - http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6015.msg63691.html#msg63691 (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6015.msg63691.html#msg63691)
May I recommend the first two violin concerti of Saint-Saens? The third is famous, of course and widely available, but the first two are excellent too. Actually the one known as the Second was composed before the First. The Second dates to 1858 [was not published until twenty years later] and is a beautiful, somewhat "Italianate" work, in the traditional 3 movements, but the First, which was inspired by Saint-Saens meeting Sarasate is a condensed work in one movement. It was written shortly after the earlier Second, and is a perfect jewel of a piece [in my opinion, of course!]. There are good recordings of both of these works, usually with the very famous Third violin concerto.