Close
  » Webaroo WikiSlice
WikiSlice  »  Concertos
Create WikiSlice on

Wikipedia on Concertos

The term ''concerto'' usually refers to a musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra. The concerto, as understood in this modern way, arose in the Baroque period side by side with the concerto grosso, which contrasted a small group of instruments with the rest of the orchestra. While the concerto grosso is confined to the Baroque period, the solo concerto has continued as a vital musical force to this day. This article will concentrate on the development of the solo concerto. The etymology of the word "concerto" is somewhat problematic, as the Italian ‘concertare’ can mean ‘to contend, dispute’ but it also has the contrary meaning of ‘to agree’. The idea of two opposing forces is inherent in the use of the term. More »
Showing 31 to 40 out of 114 Popular Pages
Cello Concerto No. 1 (Shostakovich)
The Cello Concerto No. 1 in E Flat Major, Opus 107, was written by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1959. He wrote it for Mstislav Rostropovich, who memorised the work in four days and gave the premiere in Leningrad under Yevgeny Mravinsky, on October 9 1959 in the Large Hall of the Leningrad Conservatory. The first recording was made for the CBS label by Rostropovich accompanied by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy in November of the same year. More »
Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)
Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 is his last large orchestral work. It forms an important part of the violin repertoire and is one of the most popular and most frequently performed violin concertos of all time. A typical performance lasts just under half an hour. More »
Cello Concerto (Dvořák)
Antonín Dvořák's ''Cello Concerto in B minor, Opus 104'' is a well-known cello concerto that is performed and recorded frequently. It was Dvořák's last solo concerto, and was written in 1894-1895 for his friend and cellist Hanuš Wihan. The piece is scored for a full romantic orchestra containing two flutes , two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, three horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle , and strings, and is in standard three-movement format: #''Allegro''... More »
Piano Concerto No. 4 (Saint-Saëns)
Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor , Op. 44 by Camille Saint-Saëns, is the composer's most structurally innovative piano concerto. It follows the typical concerto format of three movements, but the central ''Andante'' section is usually attached seamlessly to the preceding ''Allegro moderato''. In fact, the entire work can be played as a unified whole. It is technically divided into two sections: #''Allegro moderato - Andante'' #''Allegro vivace - Andante - Allegro'' It begins with a gently... More »
Variations on a Rococo Theme
The ''Variations on a Rococo theme'' for violoncello and orchestra in A major Op.33 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is a concert-piece for solo cellist and orchestra. Though not really a concerto, it was the closest Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a full concerto for cello. The style is inspired by Mozart, Tchaikovsky's role model, and makes it clear that Tchaikovsky admired the Classical style very much. However, one should note that the ''Thema'' is not Rococo in origin, but actually an... More »
Violin Concerto (Sibelius)
The ''Violin Concerto in D minor'', opus 47 by Jean Sibelius premiered in 1903 in Helsinki. Sibelius withheld this version from publication and made substantial revisions. The new version premiered in 1906, in Berlin, with Richard Strauss conducting and Karl Halir as soloist . However, the work is dedicated to noted violinist Franz Von Vecsey. The initial version was noticeably more demanding on the virtuosic skills of the soloist and was revived in the early 1990s on the BIS record label by... More »
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Bartók)
Béla Bartók's ''Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Sz. 95, BB 101'' , is one of the composer's more accessible compositions for audiences alike, but remains one of the most challenging piano concerti in the repertoire. His previous effort in the genre, the Piano Concerto No. 1 , is somewhat thornier in its idiom. It had not been very popular at the time. Since Bartók wrote most of his piano music for his own use as a performer throughout Europe and the United States, it seems natural that he... More »
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Shostakovich)
Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major was composed in 1957. He composed it for his son Maxim's nineteenth birthday, and Maxim premiered the piece during his graduation at the Moscow Conservatory. The work is scored for solo piano, three flutes , two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, snare drum, timpani and strings. The concerto lasts around 20 minutes and has three movements, with the second movement played attacca, thereby moving directly into the third... More »
Piano Concerto No. 1 (Chopin)
The Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 by the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin was composed in 1830. It was first performed on October 11, 1830, in Warsaw, with the composer as soloist during one of Chopin's "farewell" concerts before leaving Poland. It was the first of his two piano concertos to be published, and was therefore given the designation as Piano Concerto "No. 1" at the time of publication, even though it was actually written immediately after what was later published as Piano... More »
Violin Concerto No. 2 (Prokofiev)
The Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, opus 63, written in 1935 by Sergei Prokofiev, is a work in three movements: #Allegro moderato #Andante assai #Allegro, ben marcato It premiered on December 1 1935 in Madrid with the French violinist Robert Soëtans and the Madrid Symphony Orchestra conducted by Enrique Arbós. Prokofiev was on a concert tour with Robert Soëtans while he was working on the concerto. As he later wrote, "The number of places in which I wrote the Concerto shows the kind of... More »
Showing 31 to 40 out of 114 Popular Pages
© 2007 Webaroo Inc. Webaroo® is a registered trademark of Webaroo Inc. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.