Russian/Soviet Violin Concertos On CD (Very Long List)

More precisely 'Works for Violin and Orchestra' - and I've included several things dating after the Soviet breakup from different areas formerly under Communist control.

Alexander Alyabiev - ? b.1787('Introduction & Theme with Variations' (Olympia) Alexei Lvov - 1840(Concerto) (Olympia) Anton Rubinstein - 1857(Concerto) (Marco Polo) Peter Tchaikovsky - 1875('Serenade Melancolique', 1878(Concerto) (many) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - 1878('Fantasia on Two Russian Themes' (Newport) Cesar Cui - 1884('Suite Concertante' (Marco Polo) Anton Arensky - 1891(Concerto) (Olympia, Chandos) Alexander Glazunov - 1904(Concerto) (many) Serge Taneyev - 1905('Suite de Concert' (EMI, Newport, ProArte) Julius Conus - 1898(Concerto) (RCA, EMI, Russian Disc, Chandos) Sergey Lyapunov - 1915(Concerto) (SYD) Serge Prokofiev - 1917(Concerto No.1), 1935(No.2) (many) Nikolai Roslavets - 1925(Concerto No.1) (Wergo) Igor Stravinsky - 1931(Concerto) (many) Vissarion Shebalin - 1932(Concertino), 1940(Concerto) (Russian Disc, Olympia) Nikolai Miaskovsky - 1938(Concerto) (Olympia, DG) Aram Khachaturian - 1940(Concerto), 1961(Concerto-Rhapsody) (many) Nikolai Rakov - 1944(Concerto No.1) (Olympia, Russian Revelation) Lev Knipper - 1944('Little Concerto' (Russian Revelation) Tofik Kuliev - ? b.1917(Concerto) (Russian Disc) Dmitri Kabalevsky - 1948(Concerto) (Olympia, Chandos, etc.) Dmitri Shostakovich - 1948(Concerto No.1), 1967(No.2) (many) Janis Ivanovs - 1951(Concerto) (Campion) Reinhold Gliere - 1956(Concerto) (ASV) Mikhail Nosyrev - 1957(Capriccio), 1971(Concerto) (Olympia) Alfred Schnittke - 1957(Concerto No.1), 1966(No.2), 1978(No.3), 1982(No.4) (BIS, Teldec, etc.) Tikhon Khrennikov - 1959(Concerto No.1) (Vox, Russian Revelation) Moshei Vainberg - 1962(Concerto) (Olympia) Kara Kareyev - 1968(Concerto) (Russian Revelation) Vyachelsav Artyomov - ? b.1940('In Memoriam' (Olympia) Sergei Barsukov - 1966(Concerto No.2) (Russian Revelation) Dmitri Smolsky - 1971(Concerto) (Olympia) Revol Bunin - 1972('Concertante Symphony' (Russian Revelation) Georgy Dmitriev - ? b.1942(Concerto) (Russian Disc) Evgeni Svetlanov - 1975('Poem to the Memory of David Oistrakh' (Russian Disc) Arvo Part - 1977(Tabula Rasa) (ECM, BIS, DG, Chandos, Naxos) Sofia Gubaidulina - 1980('Offertorium' (DG) Andrei Eshpai - 1981(Concerto No.2), 1993(No.4) (Russian Disc, Albany) Boris Tishchenko - 1982(Concerto No.2) (Olympia) Erkegali Rakmadiev - 1985(Concerto) (Consonance) Otar Taktakishvili - 1987(Concerto No.2) (Orfeo) Virko Baley - 1987(Concerto No.1 'Quasi una fantasia' (Olympia) Alexander Arutiunian - 1988(Concerto) (Crystal, Chandos, Phoenix) Sulkhan Tsintsadze - 1989('Fantasy' (Orfeo) Valentin Silvestrov - 1991('Dedication' (Teldec) Peteris Vasks - 1997(Concerto 'Distant Light' (Teldec, Phoenix) Rhodion Shchedrin - 1998('Concerto Cantabile' (EMI) Erkki Sven Tuur - 1998(Concerto) ECM Mikhail Bronner - 2001(Concerto) (Phoenix)

Are there others?

Also on Philips and one other, I believe.

The same recording has been on the One Eleven label (not currently available, though.)

Eino Tamberg's violin concerto on Antes CD 31.9075, 1996 (Peeter Lilje conducting, Staatliches Symphonieorchester Estland, Irina Botschkowa, violin.)

-Eric Schissel

Nice piece, but oh, if only his Violin Concertino were available. It was recorded by Oistrakh and was issued on a Melodiya LP.

An even nicer piece is the Violin Concerto No. 1, once available on Melodiya LP. Also the Violin Concerto No. 1 of Boris Tishchenko and the Violin Concerto of Yuri Falik, also once on Melodiya LP. One of the two latter works (I forget which) features a concluding rescue of a mournful violin protagonist by an ethereal children's chorus.

Come to think of it, where do Eduard Tubin's violin concerti #s 1 (1941-2) & 2 (1947), suite on Estonian Dances (1943, rev. 1974) and ballade for violin and orchestra (1939) fit in? All these works have been recorded (though the first concerto may have the date 1974 in the BIS recording. Source for dates: http://www.emic.kul.ee/tubin/works.htm .) -Eric Schissel

Correction- 1945, published 1947, revised 1948-9 for the 2nd concerto. -Eric Schissel

Apparently, however, your very favorite Georgian composer has yet to write anything substantial for this combination (as he has for Viola & Orch and Cello & Orch), - or am I missing something?

Taktakishvili is dead. In fact he died soon after writing the Violin Concerto No. 2. His Violin Concerto No. 2 is tuneful but lightweight neoclassicism. The Violin Concerto No. 1 is a dark, probing, soulful piece, favoring meditative stasis over virtuosity. I have never heard the Violin Concertino of which Matthew speaks.

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I'm familiar with Taktakishvili's Concerto, but I prefer the Concertino, and not merely because it has Oistrakh playing (but it doesn't hurt).

Eric,

Check the 'Swedish Violin Concertos' thread (which needs updating - how does one post to an old topic?) in the archives, where I've seen fit to include the Tubin pieces (because of his extended residence). But you're right, of course, that they could just as plausibly be considered 'Estonian' and placed here.

The Tamberg Concertos CD appears NLA based on a first level search of my usual sources. Do you have any information otherwise?

No, indeed seems to be not available in the US. Still, it was released on CD at one point apparently and might be available somewhere. I'd missed the earlier thread, unfortunately (but then, I was largely on hiatus from this forum for some time!) Eric Schissel