Concert for orchestra

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Concerto for orchestra is the title of various musical works. Although a concerto is usually a musical work for one or more solo instruments juxtaposed with the orchestra , various composers have written works called Concerto for Orchestra , which at first glance appears to be a contradiction in terms. This title is usually chosen to emphasize the soloistic and virtuoso treatment of orchestral instruments.

The name only appeared in the 20th century, when the composers considered it important to give each instrument an obligatory function, for the first time in Hindemith (1925). So one cannot say that a concerto for orchestra is a symphony with a different name, it can even have a chamber music character (cf. Arnold Schönberg , Kammersinfonie op. 9 ).

A related musical genre in the Baroque and Classical periods is the Sinfonia concertante .

The most famous Concerto for Orchestra is that of Béla Bartók (1943), although the title was used several times before this work.

Works