Concerto for Orchestra
Although a
concerto is usually a piece of
music for one or more solo
instruments pitted against an
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 the instruments of the orchestra.
The best known Concerto for Orchestra is the one by Béla Bartók (1943), although the title had been used several times before.
Concertos for Orchestra (in chronological order)
Goffredo Petrassi made the concerto for orchestra something of a speciality, writing eight of them since the 1930s.