best modern work featuring the violin (not solo)?
I recently started to listen more and more to modern music even some extreme Avantgarde stuff. The oldschool works gets boring after a while a think. What modern violinwork is your favorite? concertos in particular!
Replies (27)
Modern has certain genre connotations to it. Do you mean the 20th and 21st centuriees? Anything written within the last 15 years?
My favourite "modern" work is easily Debussy's violin sonata... it is utterly amazing and original. Ok, it's not so recent, but still. If you meant more recent, how about Glass' Violin Concerto? Kremer does it.
"Do you mean the 20th and 21st centuriees?"
Anything less then a 100 years old and not strictly tonal (More atonal then anything Beethoven did)
well i dont consider bartok to be modern per se, but his concertos and sonatas are amazing.
I love the Shostakovich violin concerto and his violin sonata. And the Chausson Concert for Violin, Piano and string quartet
The most "avant-garde" thing I like is Glass. Meaning for a violin work his concerto for violin and orchestra. I really enjoy Glass and don't understand why his music isn't more popular. More standard classical, yet modern I like is the Khachaturian.
copland nocturne for violin and piano.
Many people find Glass' music rather long on unity(read that "repetition" ), and too short on diversity.
The "Hoedown" from Rodeo by Copland is really cool to play! Some sticky sections in there. I also get a kick out of Arvo Part's music. Tabula Rasa is an excellent CD.
I enjoy Gidon Kremer's Silencio, especially Come In! by Vladimir Martynov
I played in Anchorage this weekend and Nicolas Kendall played the Red Violin Suite with us. It was stunningly beautiful.
Nick is a friend of mine and yes he is amazing! He's a lot of fun to play with too, as I'm sure you found out.
I really enjoy the Khachaturian violin concerto, especially after hearing Karen Gomyo perform it last fall. That concerto has a tendency to be "scratchy" if the soloist isn't careful, but she pulled it off flawlessly. It was almost as enjoyable to watch her play it as it was to hear it.
Oh yeah I agree with you Heather about the Khachaturian. That is such a delightful work! I recently heard Ricci's 1950's recording of that piece and enjoyed it. I also like other 20th century works such as the Prokofiev concertos, Castelnuovo-Tedesco 2nd concerto, Korngold, Szymanowski 2nd concerto, and Walton.
As long as we're talking about "old" modern works, I love the Barber Concerto, esp. the last movement, which (I wonder if anybody else has noticed) is foreshadowed by a few moments in the last movement of the Brahms Concerto, which, during those moments, sounds startlingly modern.
-Scott H.
Yes Scott, I agree. The Barber is a spectacular piece! I have a recording of Gil Shaham playing it. The second movement is gorgeous.
Yet again, I find myself recommending Astor Piazzola. Many of his pieces feature violin and they are fantastic! Everyone should give 'em a listen!
Does Berg still count as modern? Im a great fan of his violin concerto!
favorite modern concertos: conus, korngold, walton, kabalevsky
favorite modern violin/piano sonatas: fuare, lekeu, janacek, poulenc
favorite modern solo violin sonatas: reger
Another vote for the Berg concerto, great piece.
Anything by Copland. He is arguably the greatest composer of the twentieth century.
The Kabalevsky concerto is pretty cool although i wouldnt really class it as modern. Also Steve Reichs violin phase.
(i would definately argue with copland being the greatest C20th composer :p)
Of the first half of the 20th century there are many great works but my favorite are by Shostakovich, Prokofiev, four pieces for violin and piano by Webern, 2nd concerto of Bartok, all of Stravinsky, Ysaye, and Enescu and Medtner sonatas.
If you're talking the second half of the 20th cnetury then: all the works of Lutaslawski (Partita, Chain, Subito), Some of the works of Schnittke (3,4 concertos, sonatas (2), Suite in old Style), Milstein's transcription of Mephisto Valse, works by Schedrin, Frartres version for violin and accompaniment and Tabula Rasa for two violins by Part, Ligeti concerto can be interesting and Dutelieux has written a good concerto. Also, theme and Variations by Messaien.
"Ligeti concerto can be interesting"
It is! Very strange and hard to understand though but that´s Ligeti´s style.
I was very impressed with Gawriloff´s performace in general and the final cadenza in particular.
I don´t think Perlman would be able to play that.
Anything by Bob Banerjee or Cornbeef and Curry, also Carbon Leaf, and Groovelilly. But Bob is really the best!
When you consider the fact that Ligeti lived through a German concentration camp, I can understand why his music is the way it is.
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April 23, 2005 at 09:50 PM · Leila Josefowicz and John Novacek playing his modern ragtime pieces for violin and piano isn't boring.