Ranking the best violin concertos 🎻 [Difficulty Tier List]

Brahms vs Paganini - which one's more difficult? Is Lalo Symphonie Espagnole easier to play than Mozart Violin Concerto?

Let me guide you through my thought process for which violin concertos you'll get the most bang out of your buck for your practice time!

0:00 - Intro
03:29 - Tchaikovsky
07:17 - Brahms
09:17 - Prokofiev
10:45 - Barber
12:40 - Beethoven
15:53 - Conclusion

[breannakimes]

Mendolson's concerto in E minor struck me as a small child, and it still always lights up my day, more than 40yrs later

[ethanhcomposer]

As a cellist I'm absolutely jealous of the violin's repertoire, it is absolutely amazing.

[sabrinai]

Now upload a video in which you play all the concertos in one go 😊.

[SimplyThree]

Bruh who edits your videos?!?!?! So entertaining!!!! So well done!! 🎻🎻🎻

[yiqingtan]

The more I watch this, the more I am keenly aware Ray is just on a different level.... No way any of those are actually easy... It's just easier from a seasoned professional violin soloist perspective.

[HansKuhlmann]

Easy for Ray doesn't mean easy for us. You need a lot of violin lessons to play the Bach concerto. And the four seasons, especially winter are far from pieces for beginners.

[rustemtnymkulov]

Musicians of all levels have different opinions on the difficulty scaling, but as a rule, Brahms is always up there😅

[MoreNikocado]

Tchaikovsky and Sebelius are in the same difficulty level as I think not……..

[bbbartolo]

For a non-violinist but violin fan, this was a fascinating inside look! Thanks

[myrtillegrandesoreilles]

I love these kind of music nerdy videos!!! It allows to get to know pieces better, get another view on them, without drowning in a shower of information

[thedisaster]

I like that you talked about which ones sound more impressive - something to consider for a performance is that there are some pieces where it seems the only people who like them are musicians! And they might be the only people who appreciate them! So playing something that everyone can follow and appreciate is sometimes the right call.

[RainbowAceOfSpades]

I understand Bruch 1 may not be the most technically difficult violin concerto out there but for me it is the gold standard of a violin concerto musically. The first movement is so intense, brooding, and dark. The second movement is so beautiful, sweet, and melancholic. The third movement is so fun, vibrant, and jubilant. The concerto really paints a story for me and because of that it holds a special place in my heart. Lastly, would have loved to see the Butterfly Lover's Violin Concerto on this list and how you would have placed that piece.

[rawvision]

I love the Goldmark and Khachaturian concertos. The Strauss concerto is also a favorite.

[elee]

I'm so happy to see someone giving so much to often heard (albeit from non violinists but still musicians) that to them Beethoven, while super melodic and sweet, is just a bunch of arpeggios and scales and a little part of me inside dies every time I hear that. I did enjoy that this list was more of a "hard to get right" list vs a "hard" vs "easy" list. 2 thumbs up!

[gregorydocenko]

You should do another one on show pieces such as Tzigane, Zigeunerweisen, Introduction et Rondo Caprocciosso, Havanaise, Chaunsson Poem, etc. even the easy Beethoven Romance and Meditation from Thais.

[LunaSuJu]

omg 04:29 Turkey mentioned! lately I've been binge-watching Ray's videos, idk they just make me happy and feel at ease and seeing the flag of my country -which is not well-known- made my day yay! as I go to watch your other videos, sending love and much appreciation from Turkey! Thank you!

[Dilsli]

Please, make more videos like this, discussing pieces! We all love them!

[flexaeterna]

I was gonna say, what about Saint-Säens?! The B minor concerto is one of my fave and the 2nd movement of the Korngold is just magical. Nice selection 👍

[chrisma]

Tschaikowsky D is my fav. Working towards being able to play Bruch snd Tschaikowsky well.

[altoclef]

From a musical perspective, I would put Prokofiev 1 as my favourite. The weird mysterious harmonies and the lyrical solo parts give me goosebumps. My favourite recording on Youtube has been blocked, but fortunately I have it downloaded. It is with Sayaka Shoji as soloist.