My Top 10 Violin Concertos

Sunday, 16 July 2006 14:31

Brahms Violin Concerto - profoundly lyrical and requires a lot of heart and virtuosity from the violinist. The orchestra is thickly textured like a symphony. The slow movement in particular is my favorite.
Beethoven Violin Concerto- soulful and profound.
J.S. Bach Double Concerto - it's actually for 2 violins, but no one can resist the contrapuntal interplay between the two violins. Also love the middle movement!
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto No. 1- beautiful melody, the opening theme is so charming. I can understand why others call it the perfect violin concerto.
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1- deeply spiritual adagio will blow you away.

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto- also very Tchaikovsky-melodious and virtuostic, if for me, a bit shallow.
Sibelius Violin Concerto - dramatic music.
Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 - delightful music (it's Mozart, what else can I say?)
Lalo: Symphonie Espagnol - more of a violin concerto than a symphony, I love the spanish sounding-themes.
Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 - written by a wizard violinist and contains all kinds of violin fireworks. It is very tuneful in the italian manner.