The concertmaster and soloist are not necessarily mutually exclusive positions, and this is especially evident when a violin is the featured instrument in question. If there’s a different instrument involved, like a trumpet or contrabassoon, it becomes clear that the ensemble may very well feature both. But how are responsibilities split between these two parties?
If you recall, the position of concertmaster was born out of the need for several things: someone had to lead the largest section of the orchestra — and occasionally they had to wave around their bow to get it all together if the ensemble started going slack. Eventually, the concertmaster and the conductor grew apart into two distinct leadership roles, with the former taking on a new set of responsibilities. Today, the concertmaster tunes the orchestra, tells the string section how to play their parts, and acts as a go-between for orchestra musicians and the conductor. In fact, a concertmaster should be a capable conductor, because they very well may be called on to conduct in case a sudden misfortune befalls conductor, assistant or otherwise.
They also play solos in orchestral works. That is, the solo passages that don’t require an additionally featured musician (like a concerto). Think the opening of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade or a Bruckner horn solo.
This interview with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Dale Barltrop, conducted while he was still concertmaster for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, is particularly illuminating when it comes to discussion of not only the responsibilities of a concertmaster, but of his or her relationship with the soloist as well. When a soloist is featured with the orchestra, says Barltrop, a concertmaster’s duties shift ever so slightly. They’re still responsible for leading the orchestra, but there’s an added challenge in following not just the conductor, but the soloist as well.
It’s also good to think about the repertoire when discussing the art of concertmasters and soloists. “Possibly because of popular demand and the need for orchestras to remain financially viable,” says Barltrop, “a full-time violin soloist is forced to concentrate their time on the basic core of violin concertos.” These are mostly fan favorites, including those by Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. The result of the soloists intense focus on fulfilling popular demand means that other musicians, including the concertmaster, have an added freedom in playing what they consider underperformed solo works.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra did some serious number crunching for the 2016-17 orchestral season of 85 orchestras in the United States. Their figures exclude solo and chamber recitals, and yes, demand is high for the hits. Here are some takeaways for the number nerds:
- The piano is cited as the most frequently featured solo instrument, with 913 appearances. The most frequently performed pieces are Tchaikovsky’s romantic Piano Concerto No. 1, and Beethoven’s Fourth and Third Piano Concertos.
- The violin pulls in at second, with 696 named solo appearances. The most frequent pieces performed fall in line with Barltrop’s observations: violin concertos from Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Barber.
- The cello is at a distant third, with 229 appearances — although that’s miles ahead of the fourth place, filled by the oboe and trumpet (46 solo concerts each). The most commonly performed cello pieces? Dvorak’s Cello Concerto, Elgar’s Cello Concerto and Saint-Saën’s First Cello Concerto.
- In the way of good news, the Baltimore Symphony’s research shows that the gender gap in orchestra musicians has been steadily closing — a 2016 study reports that 47% of orchestra musicians are women, up from 38% in 1978. But there’s still a lingering disparity in the makeup of soloists. Just 29% of soloists in the 2016-17 season were women, as opposed to 71% of men.