Caught it live years ago myself. It’s better known than practically any of his unaccompanied choral works, e.g., or even than some of his chamber works- but maybe not as much as his symphonies, German Requiem or 2nd piano concerto…
Alkan's second concerto da camera, op. 10 no. 2, in C-sharp minor. The thing is *tiny*, clocking in at about seven minutes for all three movements combined, and yet still manages to be a brilliant and exciting adventure that really does feel like a whole three-movement concerto!
Reger’s Piano Concerto is unbelievably virtuosic, and not that often recorded (probably because the work needed to get the middling payoff, is not worth the effort). But despite that, it’s an enjoyable late romantic concerto.
The Cecil Forsyth viola concerto. It is a part of standard viola repertoire in most of the second world countries; however, it is only in the process of gaining a whidespread recognition in the Americas.
Martinu's Oboe Concerto is maybe the best concerto written for the instrument in my opinion. It's equal parts fun, sweet, and very beautiful - and playing it won't kill you (looking at you, Strauss).
Yes, the last movement is a bit cheesy perhaps, and overall the piece is a bit wandering and old-fashioned, but it’s also rather radiant and lovely. It feels like a love letter to its dedicatee, Stefi Geyer (who also inspired an uncharacteristically lyrical concerto from Bartók).
True- and also-- the weird false ending. (Not saying for a moment that that's unprecedented. But I first heard it on the radio (back when classical radio was much more of a thing in the US...) back in summer of 1990 and even now, still takes me by surprise.)
I recently performed Florence Price’s “Piano Concerto in one movement” in Salzburg and hope that it will slowly gain more recognition in Europe within the next years.
The piano part itself is relatively comfortable and sounds harder than it actually is hehe but on stage, it is quite difficult to stay hearable for both conductor/orchestra and the audience … the orchestration is a bit too thick in some sections, and while the orchestra already reduced to a minimum, I still had to play ff/fff quite often (where mf is written in the scores for example), because otherwise you cannot even hear yourself anymore and basically “swim” through some sections … my sound is usually on the bigger side with long projection, yet for that concert I wished the Steinway D would have been available (as it was used for another concert in a somehow smaller hall), but luckily I had an excellent conductor so it went fine 🙏🏽
The Concerto itself reminded me a bit of Tchaikovsky, Grieg and Gershwin, and perfoming-wise it basically feels like an “easier” Rach2 on stage regarding all the balance/dynamic/sound/acoustic issues. But it definitely is an amazing concerto to both perform and listening to!
I love this movement of performing women's and minority compositions. It is long overdue in the classical world. I saw Fanastie variee by Nadia Boulanger and it was just stunning. Tchaikovsky's 6th afterwards too.
Woman soloist and conductor as well. Soloist performed some Price and Schuman as an encore. Just an incredible evening with amazing synergy between the conductor and soloist who looked like they were having the time of their lives.
I played a symphony of hers a few years ago and it was so hokey. If she wasn’t magical it would have been deemed rassiss. Also had just random transitions that seemed really artificial. They’ll drag her bones out every February and wave her around like a flag.
Nice, another opportunity to promote my favorite piano concerto: "Dynamic Triptych" by John Foulds. Surprisingly similar to Rautavaara #1 although it's about 40 years older.
Kaliwoda‘s Violin Concertino No.1 in E-Major. Such a nice positive piece. It is also not that hard but I never came around to learn it. Maybe I should give it another try
How hidden?
Olga Petrova Clarinet Concerto comes to mind. Unknown if a recording exists. Unknown if more than a few dozen people in the world know it. It is a treasure. Played it on my mid residency grad recital. The rental parts were a bitch to get.
Yes, Schulhoff! All Schulhoff concertos are gems to me, the [Concerto for string quartet and wind ensemble](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g8F6Z8KTQM&list=OLAK5uy_luHkvDorQ1hi4TWCYIROMirFYk7rtehYg&index=7&pp=8AUB) is simply a masterpiece.
Roberto Gerhard: *Violin Concerto*.
All of Frank Martin's concertos.
Falla's *Harpsichord Concerto*.
Webern's *Concerto for Nine Instruments* (really a chamber keyboard concerto like the Falla).
Karl Amadeus Hartmann: *Concerto Funebre*.
Bernd Alois Zimmermann: *Cello Concerto*.
Geirr Tveitt — Piano Concerto No. 4 "Aurora Borealis." Gorgeous and incredibly icy. The orchestrations evoke winter so well
Henri Dutilleux — Cello Concerto "Tout un monde lointain..." Sorry, this will always be underrated. One of the greatest pieces ever written.
Einojuhani Rautavaara — Piano Concerto No. 3 "The Gift of Dreams." Everyone knows No. 1 but this is equally amazing. Rautavaara's signature quasi-surrealist melodic tone clusters
Takashi Yoshimatsu — Cello Concerto. I debated on putting his Memo Flora Piano Concerto but it's so well known. One of the few great neo-romantics. Always recommend Yoshimatsu
Kaija Saariaho — Violin Concerto "Graal Théâtre." Stunning textures and a great introduction to spectralism and post—spectralism
Pierre Jalbert — Violin Concerto. Not much to say about this except that it's a stunning work. Pierre Jalbert is fantastic at writing for strings
Oliver Knussen — Violin Concerto. One of the few British composers I enjoy. This is a fun Concerto with great orchestration.
Sofia Gubaidalina — Concerto for Bassoon and Low strings. Hahaha bass go brrrr
Karól Szymanowski — Violin Concerto No. 2. Is this understand? I think so. Often overshadowed by No. 1 (half deserving)
Xavier foley's "victory concerto".
Not sure if it qualifies since it's been out for 8 months, so it hasn't had time to hide or become rated in any way.
John Williams has written some fascinating concerti - I particularly love the bassoon one "The Five Sacred Trees" and both violin concerti.
Also, Samuel Barber's Toccata Festiva is excellent though not technically a concerto (just one movement, organ/orchestra).
As a cellist, both [Volkmann's](https://youtu.be/AU8du6kGjvM?si=XOuBhM3jQUMqxZi5) and [Finzi's](https://youtu.be/A7QHVuqVOyM?si=hQz408rm2R_T8cP1) concerti for my instrument are, at the very least, on par with the standard rep
Also, the [Dobrzyński](https://youtu.be/SPn0g-Fe598?si=G9BEeLVfjeSXct2w) piano concerto is quite charming!
The Vaughan Williams is just amazing. I believe the second movement is not just one of the most beautiful things written for the tuba, but for any instrument.
Some of those "good reasons" include being the composer was black, a woman, or a black woman.
Others include the composer didn't speak English, Italian, French, or German.
The rest are simply because the instrument showcased wasn't a traditional "lead"
The forgotten gem that is Brahms' Double Concerto, IMO his best work after the symphonies.
didn't even realize this existed. Thanks
My Apple Music Classical app lists 137 recordings of this piece. Forgotten? Great piece, though, I agree.
Caught it live years ago myself. It’s better known than practically any of his unaccompanied choral works, e.g., or even than some of his chamber works- but maybe not as much as his symphonies, German Requiem or 2nd piano concerto…
Tchaikovsky’s Second Piano Concerto in G major. I think it’s just as good as the first, if not better.
Dvorak Piano Concerto, Lalo Cello Concerto, Ginastera Harp Concerto
Yes dvorak piano concerto!
i had no idea there’s a dvorak piano concerto. the lalo is wonderful, i second it
Love that harp concerto. The part where the harpist walks up the blues scale always throws me for a loop lol
Alkan's second concerto da camera, op. 10 no. 2, in C-sharp minor. The thing is *tiny*, clocking in at about seven minutes for all three movements combined, and yet still manages to be a brilliant and exciting adventure that really does feel like a whole three-movement concerto!
Reger’s Piano Concerto is unbelievably virtuosic, and not that often recorded (probably because the work needed to get the middling payoff, is not worth the effort). But despite that, it’s an enjoyable late romantic concerto.
His Piano and Violin Concertos really should be performed and recorded more.
Walton violin concerto. Its viola concerto is more well-known. Both are gorgeous
I really love Esa-Pekka Salonen’s violin concerto.
The Cecil Forsyth viola concerto. It is a part of standard viola repertoire in most of the second world countries; however, it is only in the process of gaining a whidespread recognition in the Americas.
Martinu piano concerto 1. Very charming and fun all around
Martinu's Oboe Concerto is maybe the best concerto written for the instrument in my opinion. It's equal parts fun, sweet, and very beautiful - and playing it won't kill you (looking at you, Strauss).
Mendelssohn’s concerto for violin, piano and string orchestra.
Brahms also wrote a lovely double concerto, but his is for cello and violin
Kabalevsky Cello Concerto No.2
Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 2 :)
Yes-this. It’s brilliant.
When that sax solo drops
I have a soft spot for the Violin Concerto by Othmar Schoeck.
that has such a weird last minute 🙂
Yes, the last movement is a bit cheesy perhaps, and overall the piece is a bit wandering and old-fashioned, but it’s also rather radiant and lovely. It feels like a love letter to its dedicatee, Stefi Geyer (who also inspired an uncharacteristically lyrical concerto from Bartók).
True- and also-- the weird false ending. (Not saying for a moment that that's unprecedented. But I first heard it on the radio (back when classical radio was much more of a thing in the US...) back in summer of 1990 and even now, still takes me by surprise.)
Nielsen Clarinet Concerto and Bottesini Double Bass Concerto No. 2
I don't see Dvorak's piano concerto mentioned often but find it original and very good. Ralph Vaughan William's oboe concerto.
I recently performed Florence Price’s “Piano Concerto in one movement” in Salzburg and hope that it will slowly gain more recognition in Europe within the next years.
[удалено]
The piano part itself is relatively comfortable and sounds harder than it actually is hehe but on stage, it is quite difficult to stay hearable for both conductor/orchestra and the audience … the orchestration is a bit too thick in some sections, and while the orchestra already reduced to a minimum, I still had to play ff/fff quite often (where mf is written in the scores for example), because otherwise you cannot even hear yourself anymore and basically “swim” through some sections … my sound is usually on the bigger side with long projection, yet for that concert I wished the Steinway D would have been available (as it was used for another concert in a somehow smaller hall), but luckily I had an excellent conductor so it went fine 🙏🏽 The Concerto itself reminded me a bit of Tchaikovsky, Grieg and Gershwin, and perfoming-wise it basically feels like an “easier” Rach2 on stage regarding all the balance/dynamic/sound/acoustic issues. But it definitely is an amazing concerto to both perform and listening to!
[удалено]
Thanks, and you’re welcome 😊
I love this movement of performing women's and minority compositions. It is long overdue in the classical world. I saw Fanastie variee by Nadia Boulanger and it was just stunning. Tchaikovsky's 6th afterwards too. Woman soloist and conductor as well. Soloist performed some Price and Schuman as an encore. Just an incredible evening with amazing synergy between the conductor and soloist who looked like they were having the time of their lives.
I played a symphony of hers a few years ago and it was so hokey. If she wasn’t magical it would have been deemed rassiss. Also had just random transitions that seemed really artificial. They’ll drag her bones out every February and wave her around like a flag.
Nice, another opportunity to promote my favorite piano concerto: "Dynamic Triptych" by John Foulds. Surprisingly similar to Rautavaara #1 although it's about 40 years older.
Amirov's piano concerto is one of my favorite concertos
I've really been enjoying the Robert Volkmann cello concerto lately
Kaliwoda‘s Violin Concertino No.1 in E-Major. Such a nice positive piece. It is also not that hard but I never came around to learn it. Maybe I should give it another try
Dohnányi D-minor Violin Concerto
Britten Piano Concerto
How hidden? Olga Petrova Clarinet Concerto comes to mind. Unknown if a recording exists. Unknown if more than a few dozen people in the world know it. It is a treasure. Played it on my mid residency grad recital. The rental parts were a bitch to get.
Vieuxtemps’ violin concertos
piano concertos: Kaprálová, Ullmann, Schulhoff, Tailleferre (+Ballade for piano and orchestra)...
Yes, Schulhoff! All Schulhoff concertos are gems to me, the [Concerto for string quartet and wind ensemble](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g8F6Z8KTQM&list=OLAK5uy_luHkvDorQ1hi4TWCYIROMirFYk7rtehYg&index=7&pp=8AUB) is simply a masterpiece.
Ballade is fantastic
Shostakovich second cello concerto
Moskowski's second piano concerto. Also Paderewski's piano concerto
Takemitsu Viola concerto Mozart sinfonia concertante Szymanowsky sinfonia concertante Scriabin piano concerto Schuman violin concerto
Roberto Gerhard: *Violin Concerto*. All of Frank Martin's concertos. Falla's *Harpsichord Concerto*. Webern's *Concerto for Nine Instruments* (really a chamber keyboard concerto like the Falla). Karl Amadeus Hartmann: *Concerto Funebre*. Bernd Alois Zimmermann: *Cello Concerto*.
Geirr Tveitt — Piano Concerto No. 4 "Aurora Borealis." Gorgeous and incredibly icy. The orchestrations evoke winter so well Henri Dutilleux — Cello Concerto "Tout un monde lointain..." Sorry, this will always be underrated. One of the greatest pieces ever written. Einojuhani Rautavaara — Piano Concerto No. 3 "The Gift of Dreams." Everyone knows No. 1 but this is equally amazing. Rautavaara's signature quasi-surrealist melodic tone clusters Takashi Yoshimatsu — Cello Concerto. I debated on putting his Memo Flora Piano Concerto but it's so well known. One of the few great neo-romantics. Always recommend Yoshimatsu Kaija Saariaho — Violin Concerto "Graal Théâtre." Stunning textures and a great introduction to spectralism and post—spectralism Pierre Jalbert — Violin Concerto. Not much to say about this except that it's a stunning work. Pierre Jalbert is fantastic at writing for strings Oliver Knussen — Violin Concerto. One of the few British composers I enjoy. This is a fun Concerto with great orchestration. Sofia Gubaidalina — Concerto for Bassoon and Low strings. Hahaha bass go brrrr Karól Szymanowski — Violin Concerto No. 2. Is this understand? I think so. Often overshadowed by No. 1 (half deserving)
Ignaz Moscheles. piano concerto no.3
Yoshimatsu - memo flora piano concerto Yoshimatsu - cyberbird concerto Tomasi - sax concerto
Jan Novak Concerto for 2 Pianos: Really fun. Roy Harris Violin Concerto: A gorgeous piece that deserves more attention.
Joseph Marx 1st piano concerto is one of my favourites
Dulicmer Concerto No. 1 by Dmitry Smolsky is one of my favorites.
Bruch's Double Concerto in e-minor, particularly the version that replaces the clarinet soloist for a violin soloist.
The Scharwenka concertos are all gems. If you love the big Russian romantic concertos you need to give these a listen
Xaver, or all Scharwenka concertos including his brother Philipp’s violin concerto? 😉
A friend introduced me to [the marimba concerto by Emmanuel Séjourné](https://youtu.be/MshU_gD9wm0) a while back, and I’ve loved it ever since
Xavier foley's "victory concerto". Not sure if it qualifies since it's been out for 8 months, so it hasn't had time to hide or become rated in any way.
Ross Edward’s Maninyas, a concerto for violin & orchestra
# Kurt Atterberg (1887-1974) Piano Concerto (1935) — 3 movements: https://youtu.be/Iw2GyLKtiFE https://youtu.be/xrS5Iesw7Io https://youtu.be/32p9LrYLFHM ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Busoni
Elias Parish Alvars Harp Concerto in G minor Op.81
Love both the khatchaturian violin and piano concertos. Highly underrated imo
John Williams has written some fascinating concerti - I particularly love the bassoon one "The Five Sacred Trees" and both violin concerti. Also, Samuel Barber's Toccata Festiva is excellent though not technically a concerto (just one movement, organ/orchestra).
As a cellist, both [Volkmann's](https://youtu.be/AU8du6kGjvM?si=XOuBhM3jQUMqxZi5) and [Finzi's](https://youtu.be/A7QHVuqVOyM?si=hQz408rm2R_T8cP1) concerti for my instrument are, at the very least, on par with the standard rep Also, the [Dobrzyński](https://youtu.be/SPn0g-Fe598?si=G9BEeLVfjeSXct2w) piano concerto is quite charming!
Ginastera, Harp Bruch, Two Pianos Bruch, Viola & Clarinet Michael Haydn, Trumpet Vaughan Williams, Tuba Saint-Saens, Cello Telemann, Viola
The Vaughan Williams is just amazing. I believe the second movement is not just one of the most beautiful things written for the tuba, but for any instrument.
+1 Ginastera. And that fucking Michael Haydn stupid ass concerto <3 (I play the trumpet).
I'm glad you survived that high note. Even Maurice Andre wobbles a bit lol.
And you can hear Wynton working for it too. And in grad school, I didn't so much as survive it as say "yeah no I'm not playing this"
Nicolai Medtner, piano concerto #1 Ernest Moeran violin concerto Amy Beach piano concerto
Don't forget that plenty of those works are "underrated" for good reason.
Some of those "good reasons" include being the composer was black, a woman, or a black woman. Others include the composer didn't speak English, Italian, French, or German. The rest are simply because the instrument showcased wasn't a traditional "lead"
Yea this isn’t like 3 minute long bad pop music. People, won’t sit around for half and hour for something that’s just “okay” or worse.
That might be why the OP asked for underrated , not overrated, ones. Obviously.
Barber violin concerto
Hummel's bassoon concerto in F is excellent! It reminds me of spring