Concertos for occasional solo instruments.

[Amphissa]

[/quote]I still plump for the Concerto for Horn and Hardart.   [/quote]

A masterpiece indeed:

Part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-9SbS2DtO0&fmt=18
Part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUP3EcQEKK4&fmt=18

A good choice for this particular thread, though, is the

Dutch Suite in G for Bassoon and Tuba
Part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUXKoyZBA0M&fmt=18
Part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZwcJfh7bes&fmt=18

[eschiss1]

Modern euphonium concertos come to mind, too?  Gordon Jacob's 1969 Fantasia, and others.

[chill319]

Post-modern composer at play:

Jeffrey Stolet, 1955-, Concerto for orchestra, chainsaw, and cow (1983)

[Amphissa]

Jeffrey Stolet, 1955-, Concerto for orchestra, chainsaw, and cow (1983)

Sounds .... grizzly.

[eschiss1]

Grizzly would involve a bear. This just sounds gory...

[TerraEpon]

Not a concerto in the least, but Malcom Arnold's A Grand, Grand, Grand Overture has parts for three vacuum cleaners and a floor polisher.

No joke.

[Marcus]

Hello chill319,
At the completion of the Stolet  Concerto for Orchestra chainsaw & cow, I would expect a barbeque at least.
I would prefer John Cage's Silence 4'33", and you can pick your own instrument, and no-one will notice how badly you "play", just don't blow your nose ! I think we have reached the limits of musical stupidity.
Marcus.

[Marcus]

Hello TerraEpon,
Not a concerto either, but I think Leroy Anderson  ? used a typewriter in one of his pieces, and Antheil used carhorns? or something equally as confronting.
The ABC have released a disc of Tuba Concertos by V.Williams (the best of them),Lovelock,Wilder,Kenny & Danielsson. (ABC # 476 5251). Naxos have a disc of Tuba concertos by Gregson,Steptoe,Golland & V.Williams.(8.557754), and another of Timpani Concertos by Druschetzki,Philidor,Fischer,Molter, & Graupner. Re the Timpani concertos,unless you are an enthusist looking for something different, don't waste your money !
Marcus.

[eschiss1]

Hello TerraEpon,
Not a concerto either, but I think Leroy Anderson  ? used a typewriter in one of his pieces, and Antheil used carhorns? or something equally as confronting.
The ABC have released a disc of Tuba Concertos by V.Williams (the best of them),Lovelock,Wilder,Kenny & Danielsson. (ABC # 476 5251). Naxos have a disc of Tuba concertos by Gregson,Steptoe,Golland & V.Williams.(8.557754), and another of Timpani Concertos by Druschetzki,Philidor,Fischer,Molter, & Graupner. Re the Timpani concertos,unless you are an enthusist looking for something different, don't waste your money !
Marcus.

Given Molter and Graupner's basically good music elsewhere, I expect the problem is with the performance myself... and I remember a quite positive review of another recording of the Druschetzky (the concerto for oboe and 8 timpani?) together with a symphonie concertante by Maximilian von Druste-Hulshoff that was of course a review and an opinion but still makes me wonder about the performance on the Naxos disc.  Just a guess though.

[John Hudock]

Another unusual solo instrument which is best know for the fascination Messiaen had for it is the Ondes Martenot, which also has, beside the works Messiaen included it in, several concertos:

Marcel Lundowski - Concerto for Ondes Martenot and orchestra
Bernard Wisson - Kyriades, double concerto for ondes Martenot, piano, string orchestra & percussion
André Jolivet - Concerto for Ondes Martenot & orch
Jean Jacques Charpentier - Concerto for Ondes Martenot & orch
Jan Erik Mikalsen - Concerto for Ondes Martenot & orch

And several composers wrote chamber and solo works for the instrument.

Closely related to the Ondes is the Theremin, which Edgar Varese used several times and for which there are several concertos as well:

Edgar Varese  - "Ecuatorial" for theremin and orchestra
Miklos Rosza  - "Spelbound Concerto" for theremin and Orchestra
Lydia Kavina - Concerto for Theremin & Orch
Anis Fuleihan - Concerto for Theremin & Orch (recorded by Clara Rockmore with Leopold Stokowski & NYPO no less)
Linda Kernohan -  Concerto for Theremin & Chamber Orch
Tatiana Nazarova-Methner - "Vietnam Album" for theremin and orch
Olga Neuwirth - "Baehlamms Fest" for Theremin and orch
Joseph Schillinger - "First Airfonic Suite" for theremin and orch
Howard Shore - "Ed Wood' Suite for theremin and orch

[chill319]

Regarding Arnold and Antheil, both were probably aware of similar indiscretions in Satie's Parade.

[TerraEpon]

Miklos Rosza  - "Spelbound Concerto" for theremin and Orchestra

The Spellbound Concerto is for piano and orchestra. The actual score has a theremin in it though I don't believe the 'normal' version of the concerto has one (there's also one or two other versions as well as one for two pianos and orchestra).

[gentile]

It appears that nobody has mentioned in this thread a recent CD entitled "Paul Freeman introduces exotic concertos" (Albany TROY 521) which includes a Concerto for steelpan and orchestra (by Jan Bach), another for tapdancer and orchestra (by Morton Gould) and a third for maracas and orchestra (by Ricardo Lorenz), all directed by Paul Freeman.
The Toccata festiva for castanets and orchestra by british-born (living in South Africa) composer Allan Stephenson is fun delight as are his other concertos for more conventional instruments (including one for piccolo) that have also been recorded.
Regarding the accordion (bayan), the russian composer Vladimir Zolotariov has taken the matter seriously in his Concert Symphonies No. 1 and 2 for bayan and orchestra, written for (and recorded by) the virtuoso Friedrich Lips.

[John Hudock]

Miklos Rosza  - "Spelbound Concerto" for theremin and Orchestra

The Spellbound Concerto is for piano and orchestra. The actual score has a theremin in it though I don't believe the 'normal' version of the concerto has one (there's also one or two other versions as well as one for two pianos and orchestra).

The original is for piano and orchestra (albeit with a prominent theremin part), there is also an orchestra only version. However this CD by  Lydia Kavina lists a further arrangement for Theremin & Chamber Ensemble (1946)

http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/199kavina.html

The notes indicate that this is a Rosza arrangement.