Concerto for Orchestra

Although a concerto is usually a piece of music for one or more solo instruments accompanied by a full orchestra, several composers have written works with the apparently contradictory title Concerto for Orchestra. This title is usually chosen to emphasise soloistic and virtuosic treatment of various individual instruments or sections in the orchestra, with emphasis on instruments changing during the piece.

For the distinction between the Concerto for Orchestra and the Sinfonia Concertante genres (or: forms): see sinfonia concertante

The best known Concerto for Orchestra is the one by Béla Bartók (1943), although the title had been used several times before.

Goffredo Petrassi made the concerto for orchestra something of a speciality, writing eight of them since 1933. He finished the last one in 1972.

Concertos for Orchestra (in chronological order)

• Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 38 by Paul Hindemith (1925)
• Concerto for Orchestra, by Tadeusz Szeligowski (1930)
• Concerto for Orchestra, by Gian Francesco Malipiero (1931)
• Philharmonic Concerto, also by Paul Hindemith (1932)
• Concerto per orchestra in Do maggiore by Mario Pilati (1933)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Walter Piston (1933), which is based in part on Hindemith's work
• Concerto for Orchestra by Zoltán Kodály (1939)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Béla Bartók (1943)
• Concerto for String Orchestra by Grażyna Bacewicz (1948)
• Concerto for String Orchestra by Alan Rawsthorne (1949)
• Concerto No.1 for Orchestra 'Arevakal', Op. 88 by Alan Hovhaness (1951)
• Concerto No.7 for Orchestra, Op. 116 by Alan Hovhaness (1953)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Witold Lutosławski (1950–54, which won him the UNESCO 1st prize in 1963.
• Concerto No.8 for Orchestra, Op. 117 by Alan Hovhaness (1957)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Giya Kancheli (1961)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Grażyna Bacewicz (1962)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Michael Tippett (1962–63)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 1 by Rodion Shchedrin (1963), subtitled "Naughty Limericks"
• Concerto for Orchestra by Havergal Brian (1964)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Roberto Gerhard (1965)
• Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 8 by Robin Holloway (1967)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Thea Musgrave (1967)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Elliott Carter (1969)
• Concerto for orchestra by Anthony Payne (1974)
• Second Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 40 by Robin Holloway (1978)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Roger Sessions (1979–81), which won him the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1982
• Concerto for Orchestra by John McCabe (1982)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Edward Gregson (1983) (revised versions 1989 and 2001)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Robert Saxton (1984)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Karel Husa (1986)
• 1st Concerto for Orchestra by Steven Stucky (1986–87)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Leonard Bernstein (1986–89), which is also known as "Jubilee Games" for orchestra and baritone
• Concerto for Orchestra (Variations without a theme) by Denys Bouliane (1985–95)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Joan Tower (1991)
• Third Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 80 by Robin Holloway (1981–94)
• Concerto for Orchestra (Zoroastrian Riddles) by Richard Danielpour (1996)
• Strathclyde Concerto No. 10: Concerto for Orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (1996), actually a series of ten concertos for soloists from the orchestra
• Concerto for Orchestra (reseated) by Augusta Read Thomas (1998)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Stanisław Skrowaczewski (1999)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Menachem Zur (2001-2002) (revised version 2010)
• Boston Concerto by Elliott Carter (2002)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Jennifer Higdon (2002)
• Yi°: Concerto for Orchestra by Tan Dun (2002)
• Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 81 by Lowell Liebermann (2002)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Magnus Lindberg (2003)
• 2nd Concerto for Orchestra by Steven Stucky (2003, which won him the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2005
• Concerto for Orchestra by David Horne (2003–04)
• Concerti for Orchestra by Milton Babbitt (2004)
• Concierto para orquestra by Agustí Charles (2004)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Alejandro Arguello (2004–05)
• Fourth Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 101 by Robin Holloway (2004–06)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Christopher Rouse (2007–2008)
• Concerto for Orchestra by Rolf Martinsson (2008)
• Symphony No. 5 (Concerto for Orchestra) by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (2008)
• Fifth Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 107 by Robin Holloway (2009–10)

For string orchestra

• Concerto in D by Igor Stravinsky (1946)

For chamber orchestra

• Concerto for Chamber Orchestra by George Antheil (1932)
• Chamber Concerto by György Ligeti (1969-70)
• Concerto for Orchestra by John Woolrich (1999)