My Top 10 Concertos

Here are my all-time favourite concertos (or orchestral works with a prominent instrumental solo):

1. Rachmaninoff (duh) - Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.18

THE ultimate romantic concerto, ever. The opening chords are (fiendish - requires absolutely a huge hand span to strike all the notes) sombre but beautiful. The entire piece is just so romantic and beautiful. I love every single note.

2. Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35

I absolutely adore the cadenza of the solo violin. And the orchestral tutti passages are simply inspirational.

3. Rachmaninoff (again) - Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, Op.30

Fiendishly difficult - one of the most technically demanding piano concerto ever written. The cadenza in the middle of the first movement says it all. I don't know how Martha Argerich plays this at that monstrous speed.

4. Sarasate - Fantasy on Carmen (violin and orchestra)

Bizet's opera score is brilliant on its own, and then came Sarasate who put together the most popular melodies together and made it a violin concerto for the very few virtuoso players.

5. Elgar - Violin Concerto in B minor, Op.61

I love how the violin solo plays all these amazing melodies and goes a little bit crazy when it comes to the high notes.

6. Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending

Quintessentially British. Serenity and beauty of the British countryside in its musical form.

7. Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85

Quite depressing actually, but just so painfully beautiful that no one can resist.

8. Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue (Piano and Orchestra)

Fun and funkiness, Jazz and classical combined.

9. Weber - Clarinet Concerto No.1 in F minor, Op.73

The first concerto I ever learned to play.

10. Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (piano and orchestra)

Nothing (except for Variation 18) sounds like Rachmaninoff's other piano concertos, the rhythmic nature stems from Paganini's 24 Caprices (written for solo violin). Rachael Flatt (U.S. National Champion) skated to an abridged version of Rhapsody in her free skate at the Vancouver Olympics this February.