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There seem to be soloists digging up obscure works and new compositions appear once in a while…but I'm curious as to why there hasn't been a great violin concerto for awhile. Is there just no money to be made in even very good ones?
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I've often wondered that myself, but modern composers have to compete with all those "great ones", and of course most people's taste for modern classical music seems to extend as far as John Williams. All the "recent" concertos I like were written by composers already well established.
But you know, people are all asking themselves "why haven't there been any great books/artists/etc. lately?"
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Good point Anathama,
After reading your post "Composer" I thought to myself, "I'll list some of the contemporary concertos for everyone to see and listen to". My mind drew a blank.
When I played in Gavle Symfoniorkester and Malmo Symfoni Orkester we had violin soloists from time to time play contemporary works. The problem was that the audiences were close to empty when they didn't know the piece. The second problem was that their works were not always that great.
I believe that it is time for a new era of music not resembling our recent contemporary and 12 tone compositions. I'm not saying that it was all bad, just that we need a new and exciting era. Also, brand new exciting violin concertos.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
We could also use some new innovative artists (a.k.a. Anna Karkowska) 
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Does your wife know about Anna? LOL
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Yes. My wife leaves the room whenever I put on the Anna K. CD.
(But my wife has a good amount of Amish family background. What would you expect?)
About the new and bold future ………. having listened so frequently to Anna K., all else sounds anemic. The future has arrived but we're not all there yet.
About concertos. I don't think that cultural conditions now offer the same respect for "good" music as in the good old days. Contrast the music world that Mozart knew ?
One of the issues is competition. Not only regarding musical skills but the major role of technology in what we call popular music. Anyone with a drum machine and a guitar effects box is a composer. Good or bad, it is what people want to hear.
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Pierre, I'm shocked that you failed to point out that a concerto against the violin really does exist after all, in the contemporary work:
Gubaidulina 'In tempus praesen'
http://www.anne-sophie-mutter......dulina.php
The 1st and 2nd violins don't have to bother showing up on concert night and what it has to do with Bach is beyond me. After listening to it, disturbing scenes of Brando in Apocalypse Now kept reappearing in my mind for several days.
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LOL Composer,
Don't hear Bach at all. Could be that it is being played with too much modern expression. 
The fiddle players in the orchestra are always happy to get time off on works like these.
Interesting to listen to Anne-Sophie Mutters explanation of the piece.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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