Scales of the unexpected

Should anyone ever think of sitting down and totting up all the instrumental concertos ever composed, the piano would surely head the table, followed by the violin and then, perhaps, the cello.

Those three instruments don’t always take the spotlight, however. A quick look online reveals that nearly every instrument of the orchestra has had at least one concerto written for it, as composers great and small relish getting to grips with various timbres and techniques, plus testing their soloists’ skills to the limit.

Today’s top composers continue to explore new avenues – Gabriel Prokofiev’s Concerto for Turntables, for instance, is a relatively recent addition to the repertoire while Mark Simpson is currently composing an electric guitar concerto. Here, however, we present ten of the more eyebrow-raising concertos