Apart from native instruments, such as the balalaika. kantele, hardanger fiddle, pipa, shakuhachi etc, concertos for most orchestral instruments have been written, & in the past 30 years concertos have appeared for the less likely solo instruments.
One surprise is the Contrabassoon. Kahlevi Aho's (b1949) concerto was released recently on BIS(CD 1574).3mvts 34'22". It requires a specially developed instrument capable of reaching over an octave higher than the standard instrument. The concerto is surprisingly lyrical, almost a symphony for Contra & orchestra, and in the highest register sound like a heckelphone or saxophone. Aho uses both of these instruments in the orchestra and the work contains duos & trios for Contra with both istruments.
There are many other Contrabassoon Concertos in the catalogue, including those by G.Schuller (b1925) D.Erb (b.1927), V. Muradian (b1921),E.Schuloff (1894-1942), B.Cummings (b1946),M.Doran (b1921), with a number of 18th/19th century concertos transcibed for the Contra.
Susan Nigro, renowned Contra player, has released a number of discs on the Crystal label.
Like the Trumpet, Trombone & Tuba, the Contrabassoon repertoire would be of interest mostly to bassoon players and those like myself out of curiosity, and is an acquired taste.
The Aho booklet states that the first Contrabassoon concerto was written by Gunther Schuller in 1978, but according to Oscar Thompson's Cyclopedia, Ruth Gipps wrote hers in 1969.
Concertos for Bass Clarinet are much rarer.The only one I have on disc is the concerto by D.Erdmann (b1917), (MDG) although a number have been written in Scandanavia particularly.
Robert Simpson (1921-1997), has written a Quintet for Bass Clarinet, Clarinet & String Trio. (1983).
I do not know of any Hecklephone concertos, and they are rarely used in the orchestra. (which is a pity, as the instrument has a beautiful mellow sound). Paul Hindemith's Trio for Hecklephone, Viola & Piano (Chandos 9990), demonstrates its qualities very well.
A Xylophone concerto has been written by T.Mayuzumi (1929-1997) (ASV CD DCA 1126), and the only other I know of, was written by K.Pringsheim (1883-1972).
Few concertos have been written for Cor Anglais. Donizetti's is probably best known, but other composers include Wolf-Ferrari,Honneger,Rorem,Vasks & Gordon Jacob (rhapsody)
An unusual concerto worth mentioning, is the Triple Concerto by Don Martino (1931-2005),(Albany Troy 168), for Clarinet, Bass Clarinet & Contrabass Clarinet, where the composer treats the three instruments as a single instrument. It is in 3 mvts (25'54"), and after repreated hearings, I have grown to like it.
Naxos recently released a disc of Euphonium Concertos.(8.570725)
The extensive use of the Triangle in Rott's Symphony,(particularly the BIS recording), while not a concerto, keeps the Triangle player busy. Later recordings have reduced the triangle part. Liszt used the Triangle extensively in his 1st Piano concerto (3rd mvt), but the extended use by Rott is unprecedented.
There must be many more to add to this list ?
Marcus.
The Ruth Gipps work may be her Leviathan for contrabassoon and strings though I don't think she wrote a work called concerto for that combination, for what it's worth.
Although neither composer is unsung I would add a mention of Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto and Villa-Lobos' Harmonica concerto, both marvelous works. Also worth mentioning:
Alto,Tenor & Bass Saxaphone (although this may be considered too mainstream an instrument) concertos by Philip Glass, Glazunov, Ibert, Richard Rodney Bennet, Dubois, Villa-Lobos, Karamessini,Henri Tomasi,Yoshimatsu,Torke,Nyman,Roukens,Larsson,Denisov,Dahl + others
In addition to Vaughan Williams there are Tuba concertos by Aho,Edward Gregson,Roger Steptoe, John Golland,Samuel Jones,John Williams, Oystein Baadsvik, Frederik Norrkoping, Vagn Holmboe
In addition to Villa Lobos there are Harmonica concertos by Arnold and Spivakovsky, Tausky (concertino),Henry Cowell
Trombone (again this may not be considered unusual enough) concertos by Yoshimatsu, Derek Bourgeois, Elgar Howarth, Gordon Jacob, Christopher Rouse, Carlos Chavez, Augusta Read Thomas,Ferdinand David, Alexandre Guilmant, Launy Groendahl, Gunnar de Frumerie,Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Leopold Mozart, Michael Haydn, Nino Rota,Michael Nyman,Borgeois
Other mentions:
Yannato : Contrabass concerto
Dittersdorf & Bottesini: multiple Doublebass concertos
Vasks: Cor Anglais concerto
Vanhal: Doublebass concerto
Tuur: Marimba concerto
Tubin: balalaika (even though this is in your 'apart' list) and Double Bass concertos
Schwantner: Percussion concerto
Shankar: Sitar concerto
Rosauro: Marimba concerto
O'Boyle: Digeridoo concerto
Rauttavaara: Concerto for Birds & Orch
Miyoshi: Marimba concerto
Milhaud: Percussion concerto
Larsen: Marimba concerto
Lake: Banjo Concerto
Klatzow: Marimba concerto
Kernis: English Horn concerto (Coloured Field)
Hovhaness: Sitar concerto
Harrison: Organ & Percussion
Farberman: Jazz Drummer & Orch
Dun: Pipa concerto (again in your 'apart' category)
Cowell: Koto concerto
Cowell: Rhythmicon concerto
Bennet: Solo percussion concerto
Amram: Jazz Quintet
Finally, not really strange instruments but concertos using voice(s) as the 'instrument'
Schnittke: Choir concerto
Gliere: Coloratura concerto
Sumera: Voices concerto
Foulds: voice concerto (Lyra celtica)
Bortinianksy: Choir & Double Choir concertos
Vagn (pronounced Vaughan) Holmboe wrote two concertos for flute as well as the trombone concerto already-mentioned, and one for recorder also. Other concertos of his did feature usual instruments in unusual pairings- oboe and viola, for example. (Influence of the sinfonia concertante?)
I do wish Hindemith's desire to write a sonata for everything had extended to concertos, too, but he wrote quite a few anyway, including one for the viola d'amore (which I have yet unfortunately to hear. I have read some criticisms of its orchestral balance but hope to decide for myself of course.)
Thanks John Hudock & eschiss1 ,
In my post, I listed instruments in the standard symphony orchestra. But judging from your list, some of these instruments are probably becoming more common, including guitar, mandolin etc, and standard orchestras of today, are often supplemented by some of these instruments.
The didjeridoo is an interesting one, but its role is more of an accompaning rhythmic drone, than concerto.There have been other works written featuring this instrument, (George Dreyfus (b1928), Sextet for Didjeridoo & strings)and I wonder what some of the 19th/early 20th century composers would have made of it. I am thinking Wagner (Rheingold) & Stravinsky (Rite of Spring), not that either work requires any improvement, but more the potential of the didjeridoo to portray certain scenarios, with its deep mesmerising drone, and both of these composers could have wrought some magic I am sure.
The Celesta is never mentioned as a solo instrument, and apart from Tchaikowsy's ballet, has been used in works by Mahler, Holst & Chausson, amongst others. The only concerto which I can locate, is the Concerto no2 for Celesta & Chamber Ensemble, "Beautiful Day " by K.D. Kindred (b1978 USA).
Marcus.
Hrm. A thought only...
Symphonies that involve unusual solo instruments (Brian's Gothic Symphony with its call for many an unusual instrument, starting with alto flute, is coming to mind), are at least a little more common than concertos for unusual instruments, perhaps because to generalize and overgeneralize --
concertos are written for a known soloist, often on commission if the soloist is not the composer; touring alto flute-only soloists rarely start out for want of non-transcription repertoire, so this problem tends to feed on itself. (That Christian Lindberg has expanded the trombone repertoire speaks well of him, I say...) Symphonies are also often written for an intended performance or at least a known orchestra, but at least a little less often.
Ah, I need to check if anyone's published to this thread a list of piccolo concertos yet, that makes me wonder, and English Horn concertos? They're not rare instruments, and no longer rare for concertos- but rare compared to flute and oboe concertos (much less violin and piano concertos). Recently listened to Peter Maxwell Davies' piccolo concerto, which is a good example of the more accessible side of his style, I think, and there are others mostly baroque, modern but I know of few inbetween?
(Likewise for harpsichord concertos - again not all the modern ones are modern_ist_, e.g. Quincy Porter's concerto for harpsichord is maybe more neoclassical- not sure if that describes it well either. Poulenc's and de Falla's concertos are better known, of course. Concertos from eras inbetween for that instrument- well, again... lack of soloists before Landowska etc.????)
Eric
It is indeed a shame that Moscheles (who in many respects pioneered the period instrument movement, for better or worse) never chose to do anything more with the harpsichord than perform baroque music on it. An early Romantic-period harpsichord concerto or sonata would probably have been an interesting work, to be sure! ;)
Thanks eschiss1,
I missed the piccolo. The only one in my collection were the Vivaldi ones, and recently Anver Dorman's concerto on Naxos. (8.559630).I am yet to hear a concerto which exploits the brilliance of the Piccolo as Vivaldi does, but that is a matter of personal taste. I think Liebermann wrote one - haven't heard of the Maxwell-Davies concerto, and will seek that out. As I tried to convey (badly), in a recent post re Trumpet & Flute concertos, concertos for such instruments as Trumpet, Trombone particularly, to my ears sound better in 18th/19th century music than the modern day idiom. That is just an opinion., from a rusted-on romantic music lover, and while many of these concertos have their adherents, they will never reach the popularity of those for the more conventional instruments.
The Australian composer Barry McKie (b1941) also wrote a Piccolo concerto & a Bass Clarinet concerto in recent times. Not sure if they are recorded, but the Australian Music Centre web-site will supply those details.
Marcus.
Fair enough, though I still recommend the Holmboe concertos for those two instruments for fun (there's much brio and much to remember in the tunes of these two works, I anyway find-- *g* if one's tolerance runs to melodic middle-period Stravinsky, which Holmboe at that time sometimes sounds a little like- a little. Or maybe more like middle-period Bartok? Hrm. Not much harmonic aggressiveness in these particular works, unlike some other works by this composer- at least, not by 1950s standards.) There are three recordings of the trumpet concerto to choose from, too (counting the Surinach-conducted LP).
Apparently Maxwell Davies has written a trumpet concerto too. Not sure how many of these have been recorded commercially; I know the piccolo concerto only from a BBC Radio 3 (that maligned station) broadcast. I see it did receive a Collins Classics recording in 1998 though.
Trumpet concerto, btw, makes me think of Bernd Alois Zimmermann and "Nobody Knows the Trouble I See" (I think?), a work I need and want to listen to, and will soon. Definitely modern but I expect from what Zimmermann I have heard, hardly without point.
No mention of Druschetzky and his concerto for oboe and 8 drums with orchestra? Or did I miss it? Squarely in the Romantic era...
Dragonnetti wrote several concerti for the double bass.
There is a concerto for Banjo (my 2nd favourite instrument), but i have not heard it yet.
On reading a rather old Guiness Book of Music, I came across mention of a concerto for soloists that were not allowed to play their instruments.
Modernistic nonsense i expect.
Thal
Hi all
As far as I know, only two romantic-era concertos for the accordian or concertina were ever composed. Both by one of the most underestimated composers of the 19th Century, Bernhard Molique (1802-1869). His Concerto no 1 for Concertina and Orchestra in g, op 46, dates from 1853. It popped up on Australian radio in 2002, possibly because some bright spark realised it was the bicentennary of his birth. A really charming work. Have no idea about the recording details. There is some info about it (and Molique's unresurrected no.2 from 1861) on a couple of instrumental chat sites.
regards
Peter
I also excluded harpsichord concertos from my list because it was quite common in the 17th & early 18th centuries, but there are many 20th century concertos for the instrument and in the 20thc it should probably be included in the list of unusual solo concerto instruments. These would include:
Poulenc - Concert champêtre, for harpsichord & orchestra
Elliot Carter - double concerto for piano & harpsichord
Philip Glass - concerto for harpsichord & orch
Schnittke - Concerto Grosso # 1 for 2 violins, harpsichord, prepared piano & strings
Harold Meltzer - Virginal for Harpsichord and Chamber orch
Frank Martin - Petite symphonie concertante, for harp, harpsichord and piano and 2 string orchestras
Michael Nyman - Concerto for Harpsichord & Strings
Vladimir Godar - Concerto Grosso, for 12 strings & harpsichord
Gianluca Bersanetti - Concerto for Four Harpsichords and Strings
Hendrik Bouman - Concerto for Harpsichord and String Orchestra
Manuel de Falla - Concerto for harpsichord
Joseph Dillon Ford Concerto for Harpsichord
Henryk Górecki - Harpsichord Concerto
Bohuslav Martinů - Harpsichord Concerto
Roberto Gerhard - Concerto for harpsichord, percussion and strings
Walter Leigh - Concertino for Harpsichord and String Orchestra
Jean-Jacques Coetzee - Concerti for Harpsichord, Opus 2 and Opus 5
Quote from: Marcus on Wednesday 10 March 2010, 00:29
The Celesta is never mentioned as a solo instrument,
The wikipedia article talks about what is supposedly the first work for celesta and orchestra (from only like 2007 or something), with a link an article with a video except. It's a very nice sounding piece and I wish it'd be recorded/released normally, but it's also pretty short...
Since the celesta is one of my favorite instruments, the lack of anything is a bit annoying...
...but not as much as my favorite, the bass clarinet, which as shown by this thread also has a pretty small amount of concerti for it. All I know of (including that triple concerto) are quite modern. Thea Musgrave wrote an interesting piece for it too (It's called Autumn Sonata, but it has orchestral accompaniment) which though modern is still pretty enjoyable.
Quote from: peter_conole on Wednesday 10 March 2010, 14:03
Hi all
As far as I know, only two romantic-era concertos for the accordian or concertina were ever composed. Both by one of the most underestimated composers of the 19th Century, Bernhard Molique (1802-1869). His Concerto no 1 for Concertina and Orchestra in g, op 46, dates from 1853. It popped up on Australian radio in 2002, possibly because some bright spark realised it was the boicentennary of his birth. A really charming work. Have no idea about the recording details. There is some info about it (and Molique's unresurrected no.2 from 1861) on a couple of instrumental chat sites.
regards
Peter
No, I think there's a third, by Giulio Regondi?
On the Rott Symphony's triangle, some belive the composer would have cut this back had he ever heard the last movement - I'm not so sure.
cheers
paul
Hi all
Especially Eschiss1. You are right - specialists re accordion/concertina music seem to have identified up to five 'concertos' for concertina composed during the 19th century. However, a couple are problematic and as far as I know only one has been performed/recorded with orchestral accompaniment.
Details as follows:
Bernhard Molique - as discussed earlier. No 1 from 1853, no 2 from 1861. Sadly, the orchestral score for no.1 was lost and conductor Dewey Ehling reconstructed it for a 1997 concert performance. I assume that is the version that reached Australian radio by some miracle in 2002. I believe no 2 has survived in the same condition.
George macfarren (1813-1887). A biography of 1892 claimed he composed a concertina concerto. Am willing to bet the work is identifiable with his Andante and Allegro for Concertina and strings of 1877 - never published.
Franz Bosen (who?). A large-scale fledged Concertina Concerto in D major of 1864. It has survived. Published only with piano accompaniment, which may well have been its original form. Not uncommon - to give just a couple of examples, flautist Cesare Ciardi and mandolin virtuoso Raffaele Callace composed their concertos for solo instrument and piano only.
Giulio Regondi (1822-1872). A couple of general reference works mention a concertina concerto, but I have not been able to unearth any details. The work just might be the Morceau de Salon mentioned in a Wikipedia article, or it could be buried in a partly illegible catalogue of Regondi's works kindly provided online by one Alessandro Amisich. The Giulio Regondi Guild issued two discs of music by the composer - they are both still available, but neither includes a concerto.
regards
Peter
Hello peter_conole,
The Molique Concerto op46 was indeed played on ABC Radio Classic-FM on 4/10/2002.
It had been performed the previous week in the Brisbane Custom house by the Armenian String Virtuosi, with the accordianist Quynh Trang Nguyen , accordian. Also on the program was the Alphorn Concertino by Farkas.
The concert was played on ABC radio the following week, and is an ABC recording. THe ABC have an enormous recording archive, and I presume this is still held in their vault. ABC Classic-FM have a listener request programs, and if you wish to hear it, why not e-mail Marion Arnold, (presenter),(refer ABC Classic-FM web-site),with a request to hear it. The Australian classical music stations ABC, & 2MBS, 3MBS,4MBS,5MBS 6MBS in each state are easily available via i/net radio.
With the popularity of the accordian in France & Europe ,I would be surprised if more romantic accordian works are not unearthed.
Marcus.
Has anyone mentioned the Leopold Mozart Concerto for Hosepipe and Strings? Or, even better, the Concerto for Conductor and Orchestra by Francis Chagrin? And my favorite the Concerto popolare by Franz Reizenstein. All of course realized by the inventive Gerard Hoffnung.
British Library Reference Collections apparently has an "Andante and Allegro from the 1st concerto in D for the concertina" by Regondi, but Worldcat says nothing about the scoring? (actually, going to catalogue.bl.uk directly adds &piano. Ok. Published around 1855. Exists in two records, one mentions piano, one doesn't.)
They also have a Beriot concerto (his 1st) transcribed by Regondi for the concertina, and this andante and allegro may be from _that_ work, not from a concerto written by Regondi (I forget, is Beriot's first concerto in D? Well, it might be from someone's work transcribed by Regondi. Hrm. Probably not the Beriot, anyway- which seems to be in one movement?) and the title may not disambiguate enough... sigh. Still, seems unlikely- I would put in a guess for its being an original composition.
de Beriot's first VC, the Concert Militaire is indeed in D, but it is in a single movement, without an 'Andante', so I doubt the Regondi work is a transcription.
Slightly off-topic, but regarding unusual insrtuments:
We have all heard of the Bass Flute, Contra-Alto & Contrabass Flute, but I am amazed to discover a Sub-Contrabass Flute and a Hyperbass Flute, and there has been music written for all of them.
The Hyperbass Flute is not an instrument one would tuck under an arm while running for a bus. It is over 8m in length, (tubing conveniently layered), pitched in C, its lowest note (Co) is 4 octaves below the lowest C on the standard Flute, and an octave below the lowest C on the Piano (C1).
Player Roberto Fabbriciani has already recorded a piece "Con Fuoco" by composer Nicolas Sani. I doubt if most of us could actually hear a note so low, and I really wonder what purpose they serve. I suppose it relates to pushing the boundries. Very low notes on such instruments would be indistinct and "muddy" anyway, but Sylvio Lazzari (1857-1944), makes good use of them on conventional instruments,(Bass Clarinet & Contrabassoon), to create the atmosphere (at the beginning),in one of the great French unsung Symphonic Poems, "Effet de Nuit", and Wagner needs no mention.
I have seen a photo of an Octo-Bass (Dble Bass), standing 3.5metres in height, which was either made, and, or, played in Paris in the mid 19th century,(1849 ?) but as far as I know it has remained in the museum.
Marcus.
Quote from: peter_conole on Thursday 11 March 2010, 02:28
George macfarren (1813-1887). A biography of 1892 claimed he composed a concertina concerto.
That makes me think of something missed in this thread -- the two concerto by Astor Piazzolla. One is for Bandoneon, Percussion, and Strings, and the other is for Bandoneon, Guitar, and Orchestra. Wonderful pieces, well worth hearing
.
Quote from: mbhaubHas anyone mentioned the Leopold Mozart Concerto for Hosepipe and Strings?
Do you mean alphorn, perhaps? There's a whole disc of alphorn concerti on Marco Polo (re-released on Naxos). It has the L. Mozart, as well as two pieces by someone named Daetwyler (one with a piccolo solo too!), and a piece by Fenric Farkas.
TerraEpon,
Exactly right, Piazzolla completely skipped my mind. I love his music, but I have him classifed under Tango rather than Classical, so when I did a scan for concertos in my collection, I completely missed him.
Closely related to the bandoneon, the accordion has a several concertos by:
Peter Paul Koprowski Concerto for accordion & orch
Nikolai Chaikin (who wrote two, one of which is recorded on Naxos coupled with a Balalaika concerto by Yuri Shishakov and a suite for orchestra of folk instruments by Gorodovskaya)
Anders Koppel (for violin & accordian, on DaCapo coupled with a concerto for Saxaphone & piano)
Brian Current (I'm not sure this has been recorded, but it was performed in Nova Scotia and you can listen online at: http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod/concerts/20090312petric)
Charles Camilleri concerto for accordion & strings
S. Berinski (Sym No 3 for accordion (bayan) & orch)
Erkki Jokinen for accordion and chamber orch
Cecil Effinger Nocturne for accordion & strings
Walter Buczynski Fantasy on themes of the Past, for accordion & string orch
Carmine Coppola Concerto for Accordion & Orch
Timo-Juhani Kyllönen concerto for accordion & orch (It's listed as No 1, but I could find no evidence of a second even at the composers website)
Michael Easton concerto for piano, accordion & strings
Fumio Yasuda concerto for accordion and orch
Roy Harris Theme and Variations for accordion and orchestra
Paul Pisk Adagio and Rondo Concertante for two accordions and orchestra
Henry Cowell Concerto Brevis for Accordion & Orch
Paul Creston Concerto for Accordion & Orch (old recording by Carmen Carozza)
Anthony Galla-Rini Two Concertos for Accordion & Orch
Pietro Deiro Three Concertos
Alan Hovhaness Concerto for Accordion & orch.
The accordion also has a very prominent place in many other pieces by Hovhaness, especially one of my favorites, the Rubiyat of Omar Khayam
I'm not sure if any of the pieces from Harris, Pisk, Galla-Rini or Deiro have been recorded.
Trying to stick to concertos or concertante works, but it deserves mention in talking about accordion Aho wrote two sonatas for solo accordion, and there are several other significant chamber works for accordion (maybe for another thread)
Given it's versatility and range (and there are some truly phenomenal virtuoisi of the instrument, a quick scan of Youtube shows some amazing amateurs cf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p79ucaj-nNg), it's amazing more composers haven't utilized the accordion as a solo instrument.
I am shocked -- shocked -- that no one has mentioned the master composer for all instruments extraordinaire, the world-renowned innovator who not only writes for the oddest of instruments, but invents odd instruments to write for, and whose music is performed often to packed houses and great delight around the globe .....
I am shocked that no one has mentioned our most famous living composer in the classical and romantic tradition, known and loved by youth and elder, scholar and businessman, critics and audiences alike ......
I am shocked that no one has mentioned P.D.Q. Bach.
And now that his name is out, I'm sure I need not list the hundreds of compositions for odd instruments that have issued from his fertile talent.
I gather the bayan is very similar to the accordion, and has several concertante works written for it by Sofia Gubaidulina-
Eric
Amphissa,
Funny you should mention it, I had intended to make a note of PDQ and then forgot.
PDQ Bach did compose among other things the wonderfully and delicately balanced Concerto for Ocarina and Bagpipes. As Peter Shickele said when describing the work (this is from memory, so I paraphrase) "when the bagpipes are playing you can't hear anything else and you can't hear the ocarina when there is another instrument in the room".
Also notable is the concerto for Lasso d'amore.
Now that I've gotten the true master on the board, here are a few more mundane picks.
Robert Denhof (b. 1945) has written a lot of pieces for atypical instruments. Examples include:
- Rondo und Sonate for accordion
- Kasachische suite for flute and accordion
- Konzertstück for tuba and piano
- Skomoroski for orchestra of Russian folk instruments
- Skizzen : Russische Peigage for celesta
- Scherzo for 2 bayans (or accordions)
- Quintet for accordion (bayan) and string quartet
- Concerto for xylphone and flute orchestra
- 12 elegies for zither
- 5 Miniaturen for 2 zithers and 3 zithers
- Medeo for saxophone and orchestra of Russian folk instruments
- 2 Suites for violin and trombone
- Romanze for saxophone quartet
- 24 Miniatüres for Celtic or troubadour harp
The most intriguing to me, and the search that led me to Denhof, was the Zither. In the U.S. and maybe Britain, it is known as the Hammered Dulcimer. It has existed in various forms since biblical days.
There are many transcriptions of classical works for hammered dulcimer, but I was curious to know if there were any classical pieces written specifically for the instrument. Denhof, above, has some pieces for it. There are a few others:
Geza Allaga - Hungarian Concerto for Hungarian Hammered Dulcimer and Hungarian Rhapsody for Hungarian Hammered Dulcimer and String Quintet
Lee Hyla (American) - Concerto For Piano and Chamber Orchestra No. 2 (1991) -- the title sounds so traditional. But the instrumentation "for Bass Clarinet, Percussion, Flute, Hammered Dulcimer, Bassoon, Horn, Trombone, Strings (one) and Clarinet." Another of his pieces, Amnesia Variance, features Cello, Viola, Violin, Piano, Clarinet and Hammered Dulcimer.
I'm sure there are a few more. There are versions of the hammered dulcimer/zither as traditional instruments in most Eastern cultures, so there are probably Asian-inspired classical music (or should it be the other way around) featuring those instruments. I just don't know the names of them.
For whom are all these exotic and eccentric works written? Is there an audience? Enough to fill a concert hall? I really have no idea at all.
Quote from: John Hudock on Thursday 11 March 2010, 21:14
Amphissa,
Funny you should mention it, I had intended to make a note of PDQ and then forgot.
PDQ Bach did compose among other things the wonderfully and delicately balanced Concerto for Ocarina and Bagpipes. As Peter Shickele said when describing the work (this is from memory, so I paraphrase) "when the bagpipes are playing you can't hear anything else and you can't hear the ocarina when there is another instrument in the room".
Also notable is the concerto for Lasso d'amore.
I still plump for the Concerto for Horn and Hardart. ;)
[/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 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-9SbS2DtO0&fmt=18)
Part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUP3EcQEKK4&fmt=18 (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 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUXKoyZBA0M&fmt=18)
Part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZwcJfh7bes&fmt=18 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZwcJfh7bes&fmt=18)
Modern euphonium concertos come to mind, too? Gordon Jacob's 1969 Fantasia, and others.
Post-modern composer at play:
Jeffrey Stolet, 1955-, Concerto for orchestra, chainsaw, and cow (1983)
Quote from: chill319 on Friday 12 March 2010, 04:15
Jeffrey Stolet, 1955-, Concerto for orchestra, chainsaw, and cow (1983)
Sounds .... grizzly. :o
Grizzly would involve a bear. This just sounds gory...
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.
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.
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.
Quote from: Marcus on Friday 12 March 2010, 11:49
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.
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
Regarding Arnold and Antheil, both were probably aware of similar indiscretions in Satie's Parade.
Quote from: John Hudock on Friday 12 March 2010, 14:39
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).
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.
QuoteQuoteMiklos 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.