Does your country have a national concerto?

[opus43]

Does your country have a concerto that many people know of as patriotic?

I really think the USA (a nation in North America) should have one. I've been listening to their patriotic songs and some of them are wonderful (i.e. America the Beautiful, God Bless America, Shenandoah, the Stars and Stripes Forever, etc.). Maybe not to the level of "Land of Hope and Glory" (an anthem of the UK) but still very moving.   
China has a nice concerto (Yellow River Concerto). Though some parts are really redundant, many parts can give the desire to create (and I imagine, intense nationalism as well) in the hearts of the listeners. You can hear elements typical in the concerti of Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, as well as the distinct ancient zither-inspired music in the 3rd movement. I really wish my country had a similar concerto; I feel that our songs and anthemshave more potential than the Chinese ones.


Oh: and I really think the USA should update the tune of their national anthem.  Her unofficial patriotic songs are far more inspiring.

[mjames]

BRO, Usa already has one


G E R S H W I N

[rachmaninoff_forever]

BRO, Usa already has one


G E R S H W I N

Ew no.

unless you're talking about his rhapsody in blue.  It's overplayed but it's still good.

[mjames]

Ew no.

unless you're talking about his rhapsody in blue.  It's overplayed but it's still good.

thats the point

Isn't Gershwin considered to be the American poster boy for classical piano music like Chopin is to Poland?

[iansinclair]

I agree -- "Land of Hope and Glory" is really hard to beat -- although "I Vow to thee my Country" (music by Holst -- "Jupiter" from The Planets -- comes darn close.

For the USA?  I'll make two suggestions, neither of them concerti (but then, neither of the above is either): Appalachian Spring and Fanfare for the Common Man, both Aaron Copland.

[opus43]

BRO, Usa already has one


G E R S H W I N

True

[themeandvariation]

I'd vote for this rendition of 'stars and stripes' for the US.  

Though it is not a concerto, at the 2:30 mark, Horowitz  grows another arm…
(Done with fitting panache and bombast.. His rendition is in honor of him becoming a citizen of said country..)

Or- more seriously…

John Corigliano - piano concerto.

[emill]

I'd vote for this rendition of 'stars and stripes' for the US.  

Though it is not a concerto, at the 2:30 mark, Horowitz  grows another arm…
(Done with fitting panache and bombast.. His rendition is in honor of him becoming a citizen of said country..)

Or- more seriously…

John Corigliano - piano concerto.

 

THANK YOU for introducing me to John Corigliano !!!  What powerful works ...  "The Red Violin" Concerto and "Clarinet Concerto" .... whew!!!!

[themeandvariation]

Emill
Thank you for taking a listen. I've not yet heard the clarinet concerto, and look forward to hearing it.
It seems that many pianists here are not open to giving 'modern' material a listen.. (I am not talking about contemporary composers who write in an obvious retro style.. which is fine too…but…)

This particular piano concerto - i find amazing in how it can straddle many influences - .
If one can have the patience to listen to more than 15 minutes of it, i believe the excitement and ebullient approach to orchestration -(almost like a concerto for orch. as well) - really expressive and incredible - will (maybe) win them over..
An fantastic contribution to the piano concerto literature.
Thank you for responding!

[huaidongxi]

does the Corigliano concerto have the same nationalistic associations as the Gershwin, don't think so, and one would think that is part of the notion of a 'national concerto'.  musical merit seems only an incidental feature if nazionalismus is the priority.

in the non concerto(non academic/conservatory) category, as a native amerikaner, my nomination is guthrie's 'this land is our land'.

[indianajo]

As a one third native American, I vote for Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin as the national concerto of the USA.  Even though overplayed I still enjoy hearing it. I'm starting to practice it, although I don't have the recommended arrangement for solo piano yet. Pity there is noone around here that wants to play the lead while I play orchestra on the two piano original score without being paid.    
On national holidays, the classical stations associated with WFMT-FM overplay Copeland, especially the Simple Gifts melody.  I prefer Scott Joplin or Fats Waller, or even Grofe or Gottchalk.  

[themeandvariation]

Hauid-
What? Corigliano - born in NY..  'nationalistic associations' ?
What the hell are you saying?  I hear 'americana' in there.  Did you even give it a listen?  I Did say that this was a serious work…  (meaning: not for the faint of heart).
(of course, resistance is to be expected… which Can come close to closed mindedness)

and besides, my first link was for Horowitz' version of 'Stars and Stripes' …so….

[klavieronin]

The closest thing we have in Australia is a folk song called 'Waltzing Matilda'. It's a great song but nobody really cares about classical music here. If I was voting for a national concerto it would be Peter Sculthorpe's 'Earth Cry', a sort of concerto for didgeridoo and orchestra.

[richard black]

The British national concerto is certainly the Elgar cello concerto. No other possible contender. If we needed a _piano_ concerto there would be a few decent candidates, my favourite being the Bliss.