Ranking the BEST Cadenzas from Violin Concertos 🎻 [Difficulty Tier List]

Now that you know which cadenzas are the most difficult and which ones you’ll need to spend the most hours on, go practice and listen to others practice them, on Tonic: tonicmusic.app/practice-together 🎵 Open to all instruments and levels.
0:00 - Intro
00:35 - Power scaling
00:53 - Beethoven: Auer / Heifetz vs Kreisler
03:18 - Mozart No. 3: Sam Franko vs Auer vs Ray Chen
07:12 - Mendelssohn 1st movement
07:55 - Mozart No. 4: Joachim vs Chen vs Sauret
09:15 - Bruch 1st movement
09:40 - Mozart No. 5: Joachim
10:20 - Brahms VC: Joachim vs Kreisler
12:09 - Dvorak 1st movement
12:40 - Hadyn in C: David / Alard
13:19 - Paganini No. 1: Sauret vs Wilhelmj
14:35 - Shostakovich No. 1 3rd mvt
14:48 - Sibelius 1st movement
15:08 - Tchaikovsky 1st movement
15:28 - Vieuxtemps Concerto 4 & 5
15:45 - Viotti Concerto No. 22: David & Alard vs Joachim
16:40 - Results & outro

[@RayChenViolinist]

Want to stay musically motivated? Join the practice community on Tonic: tonicmusic.app/join-in Your live practice journal & community all in one place 🎵

[@shannonmoro401]

Today is 290 days of practicing in a row on tonic.

[@juliancardenas4474]

@RayChenViolinist could you please rank violin show pieces? That would be interesting, insightful, and entertaining.

[@handsomeayden]

Prediction: Hardest Violin Sonatas

[@JohannSebastianBach445]

at multiple points in this video ray is going to flex on us that he can play all of these cadenzas

[@Hannah-CatLady]

Haha you were right!

[@M_SC]

He better

[@JeanDeLaCroix_]

Not the sauret actually

[@JohannSebastianBach445]

@@JeanDeLaCroix_ true but thats because he gave up when he was 19, I bet he could probably learn it now.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

Yeah it's all about him showing off!

[@kevingaruccio5758]

Hadelich and Vengerov have their own cadenzas for Brahms and they are insane

[@danielakbari5637]

Also Heifetz

[@richardlehoux]

I have just asked the question. Thank you!!!

[@alejandronarvaez9806]

Vengerov is top tier, Hadelich is just boring and off

[@Y3llow_Submarin3]

@@alejandronarvaez9806 Hadelich is perfect.

[@damshek]

If you aren't a violinist and you want to know how good someone like Ray is- I'm a pretty decent violinist, and I'd agree with his timing rankings... multiplied by 10. I'd need 10 weeks for a piece he'd give himslef one week for. "Death level" stuff would be between 5 years and never. That's the difference between "pretty decent" and "world-level".

[@lucienazario2786]

I am always excited with what Ray would share with his audience. I am learning much from him.

[@TheEternaut]

Same here!

[@ElsweyrDiego]

petition for Ray to play a Mozart Concerto 3 mov.1 with Auer cadenza to be the only one on youtube!

[@Aaron-xq6hv]

I actually love the Auer cadenza so I wish he would.

[@bigbeepian224]

And the carl flesch

[@everythingaboutnothing3190]

This Ray of sunshine warms my heart and plucks its strings so well. He's light and sweet and keeps the beat as mine begins to swell. This Ray of music makes us smile as we all watch him here a while!

[@sabrinai]

Another IntEresTing tierlist! Can't wait to hear which cadenzas are the best from a soloist pov.

[@Pride_of_Slytherin]

How’s this one 5 hours ago?

[@lucainfante1058]

Hirshhorn recording is LEGENDARY💜

[@majjinn]

I don’t play violin and my instrument isn’t even orchestral but I find these videos so interesting and I love them

[@AwesomeWizard1]

What instrument do you play?

[@majjinn]

@@AwesomeWizard1 euphonium, which has some concertos but isnt orchestral

[@ceticobr]

Same.

[@chuffer595]

Augustin Hadelich has written his own cadenzas for several concertos, including Paganini 1 (I think) and Brahms. They're excellent!

[@alejandronarvaez9806]

His cadenzas are really boring tho, maybe the paganini has an interesting section, but afterwards boring as well, Brahms one is really bad

[@chuffer595]

@@alejandronarvaez9806 I really enjoy his Brahms cadenza. But that's just personal taste.

[@rebekahweber2413]

I love Ray Chen. He is so engaging, enigmatic, vivacious, as well as energetic when he excites us with his playin, along with the breakdow of the music he brings to us. He makes us all feel like we could just pick up a violin, study for a while, then jump in and play with everyone, even though it is a daunting task to become a great player like him. When I watch, I feel included, not excluded but along for the ride. He is so fun and enchanting, as we are riding on the coattails of his passion for experiencing music. I love listening to any classical and most contemporary songs, but he just takes it over the top with his dazzling smile and inviting presentations. You just feel like he is personally talking to you as well. Thank you so much, kind sir, for including us in your world while igniting a fire in our hearts as well as our minds to play music, the universal language of all our worlds.

[@TwitterChannelOfficial]

I can't understand violin langauge

[@Magidar]

Why does this sound like AI wrote this

[@rebekahweber2413]

@@Magidar Nope. Just me. I always write like this. I have been around since before the internet was even conceived and still write like this.

[@lakatos1683]

Your ranking videos are so interesting and genuine, I really enjoy them. The details you present to explain your opinions are very helpful for any violinist--thank you!

[@christaherwig0404]

I love Cadenza, especially when Ray plays it🎉 Pure pleasure and virtuosity every time 🎻🔥💛

[@user-hl4kk8wd3k]

Ray is so cute and upbeat explaining these cadenzas...love his sheepish smile and laugh when he discovers he played the Mozart 5 cadenza instead of No.4. Also funny was when he added the updated tier title "Not advisable or Death", where he says you'll die trying! It was very interesting hearing the differences between the multiple cadenzas available for each piece.

[@Tejpek]

This is one of the best tierlists!🎉❤

[@user-nf5ux9xn2j]

It's hard to finish watching this video; I am so stimulated to play. Amazing, Ray. Thank you!

[@SilasViolin]

Thank you so much for reviewing my video (Viotti 22 cadenza) again!

[@sampolinad]

Interesting thoughts! Thank you for sharing!

[@ajcochrane007]

So fun. Thank you.

[@joshablatzheim9075]

Thank you Ray, how always awesome done🎉🎶🎻= à la Violin Kind regards from that " Classical Tenor-Violist-Panpipeflutist- Guy" from 🇪🇺🇩🇪, to the US 🇺🇸, Yours, Josha 🙋‍♂️

[@hortehighwind8651]

These cadenza's have a lot of variation, very nice.

[@HonneySantos1]

No conocía la mayoría, tuve que ver el vídeo 2 veces, algunas me suenan muy familiar. Que magnífica es la música! Y que admirables y respetables son quienes la interpretan, la conocen, la estudian y la practican.

[@jh.y00N]

My heart is already pounding!!!😆

[@shannonmoro401]

I can not wait to hear it

[@charlesgoodrum9168]

I just registered your background: espresso bar, custom keyboard. You're the same kind of nerd as me. I don't know why I've watched so much without subscribing.

[@YANGJianViolin]

Thank you very much for such a great video and reviewing my son's Viotti 22 cadenza!

[@sabrinai]

Would love for Ray to write his own cadenza for the different concertos. Could be a video idea, maybe, pretty please? 😇

[@Hannah-CatLady]

He wrote some!

[@michaelsproule2508]

Kreisler's cadenza for the Brahms has always been my favourite, ever since hearing the Christian Ferras recording. It seems harder to pull off than the Joachim and often performances feel stressed. A great version by David Grimal highlights the gorgeous, lyrical writing of Kreisler, especially in the second half of the cadenza. I hope that more violinists take up the challenge in the future!

[@tetama2agani]

Oh cool that's really interesting❤❤

[@torrero3113]

Ray! Would love to hear you play some of the tough repertoire on a 5 or 6 string electric guitar!

[@Hosu_a]

Love you too much Ray Cheniii 💜

[@Go-VHE]

I improvised one to mozart 5 mvt 1 a year ago because I had to play it on leas than a days notice and never studied a cadenza to it before, so I just made one up on the fly!

[@lad4694]

Cant wait

[@SL6NtheNorseman]

Khachaturian, Britten, Bartok no.2 etc.

[@NgocAnhNguyen-1501]

Hi Ray, can you do a video about how to play Mozart violin concerto no.3 someday? I watched a performance of you playing Mozart concerto no.3 on KZbin before and I think I want to hear you sharing about how to play it, using your cadenza of course. 😊

[@misscatbird]

I play the Auer cadenza for Mozart 4. I love it so much :>

[@nglily7491]

I love the way seeing Ray will make mistakes too. He is human, so close to us. But he has showed lots of practice , no pain , no gain, even x a genius

[@lucienazario2786]

Watching from the Philippines.....

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

I used to be in the camp of people who said: If the composer wrote a candenza, play it. But I changed my mind. Of the standard repertoire there are so many recordings available to fill an entire rack in your basement, that if you want to hear those, just pick a recording. But during a live performance I expect the soloist to do what he was supposed to do in the 19th Century: Play their own cadenza. It doesn't even have to be improvised. They can compose it at home, write it down and then practice it. But it should be theirs. This holds even more true in Concerto's like Beethoven's Violin Concerto. Don't play Kreisler, play yours. The only restriction I expect is to stay within the harmonic rules of the time the concerto you are playing a cadenza for. You can't go all early 20th Century in your cadenza when you are playing a Mozart Concerto. No restrictions on the technical difficulties though. You are supposed to show what YOU are good at and that is very individual.

[@user-ei2tn7de2y]

Gosh, I'm distracted cuz he's handsome

[@shogb5999]

Franko’s cadenza for the 2nd movement of Mozart 3 is another great one.

[@ismaparra]

szeryng beethoven and brahms cadenzas are insane an beautifull

[@jgassman]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Joachim was friends with Brahms and claimed that the Brahms concerto was unplayable because of the difficulty. I love that story. It gave me hope.

[@AluminumHaste]

What keyboard is that on the wall? Oh, nice playing as usual!

[@marknieuweboer8099]

The Shostakovich cadenza is actually written by Alfred Schnittke, who wanted to use it for the Beethoven concerto. I heard it once on the radio - weird, but not really out of place.

[@davidpalomino3618]

Heifetz's cadenza for Brehms is rally insane!

[@gunnarholmstedt3089]

I'd like to hear you play the Sauret cadenza for Paganini 1.

[@TDM-kv9eb]

You should include the Beethoven 3rd Movement Cadenza by Kriesler. It's one of the most famous, flashiest, and also easiest cadenzas.

[@hortehighwind8651]

nice keyboard on the wall :)

[@Boollish]

Are we taking bets on where Suaret lands on the list? If you're curious, Kavakos performs this one without cuts.

[@obduratecb]

I love paganini

[@ya_ya_ya.]

16:53 Please check out the Ysaye cadenzas for Mozart 3 and Viotti 22✨️

[@eemilsilvetoinen6941]

Hi, you should look the Sibelius 2nd Cadenza from the original version of the 1st movement composed in 1903.

[@user-ei2tn7de2y]

Ray!!

[@danielakbari5637]

Heifetz Brahms Cadenza is cool too

[@mancraft7555]

Even if you are able to play difficult pieces over time, it does not necessarily mean that you will be able to produce a highly musical performance.

[@The062Violinist]

Hi, just wanted to tell you something, as for your mic preferences, you can actually just use the macbook's built in mic instead of external mic,(this is more preferences, I can't force you to use this) but if you don't bring your external mic or using AirPods, using the computer mic could help you substitute the mic choice(its just because MacBooks have so called "studio quality microphones" but they sounds good. Love your videos!

[@rikspector]

Ray, Thank you, your talent is prodigious. Do you think if you didn't have this channel and devoted your time completely to Practice and performance you would be even higher in your rankings? Cheers, Rik Spector P.S. I thought once an Aussie, always an Aussie:)

[@hlarjay7503]

Ray is getting real sneaky with how he’ll start stealth teaching me about Tonic🧐

[@OsmondLai]

For the Bruch Cadenza I would argue that the beginning is not the Cadenza but in a recording by Maxim Vengerov at around 6min and 30 seconds there seems to be some short Cadenza. Still arguably easy compared to many other ones.

[@user-zp3gs7lw5i]

We need a pure edition of Shostakovich! Any chance in my life?😭

[@SkunkworksProps]

Which cadenza do you use for the Devils Trill? The Kreisler one seems to be the most famous but I know there are others.

[@lucienazario2786]

I like the eyeglasses that is superimposed on you here. You look good with it.

[@loganm2924]

"No cadenza's gonna take a year to practise" The Ades cadenza for Ligeti's concerto has something to say about that.

[@anniexu6645]

I think Maria Duenas (sorry for not being able to type her name correctly) played the Sauret cadenza when she played the Paganini No.1

[@AsianDramaniac]

14:05 It would great to witness Ray overcoming this PTSD now though.

[@grgryl]

Glazunov is another cool cadenza.

[@miroslavburysek5276]

Try cadenzas by Jan Kubelík! (Paganini, Beethoven, Brahms)

[@WhirledPublishing]

As an opera singer, there is * no * cadenza in classical opera that I could not * master * in a couple days - when you say " months " or a " year " ... I wonder what is going on here - because as a musician, you are at a much higher level than I am - nearly all the famous cadenzas are in my performance repertoire - but some are more amateur while others are more challenging: Mozart's Queen of the Night, Gonoud's Juliet, Verdi's Violetta, Vivaldi's Giustino, etc.

[@arkoma.5845]

Where is Kreisler's Devil's Trill cadenza???? I wanted to see that😂

[@shannonmoro401]

Have a question. How do you know if you pass the last diamond 💎. On tonic. Last week I was number 3.

[@aaron.greymtn6170]

Tor Aulin 1st violin concerto cadenza is pretty good

[@NICOLASBALOG-tm3id]

Hey, can you make video about scales and études?

[@brianhawkins8397]

Ray just made those two musicians’ decade by casually calling them out for their impressive performances

[@ssatjapot]

"Remember that these time frames are based upon MY OWN ability..." If we were to apply this to a skill level chart, Ray would be at the "DEATH" level, and I would be at the below the barrel level.

[@fuqiang826]

I think the cadenza that Hilary Hahn wrote for Mozart No. 3 is sooo difficult. You can hear that in her video about Mozart No. 3.

[@gky7170]

the tiered rating system applies to Chen; however, most violinists would require different time frames to master these cadenzas, up to AND including ..."FORGET it, not in this lifetime!"

[@jirivavra4272]

I miss Ysaye’s Mozart Cadenza very much. That one would blow anybody out of the water.

[@alejandronarvaez9806]

Check out the [removed] Sibelius' 2nd cadenza for the original version of his violin concerto, its just magestic and Bach-esque, it gives the concerto a whole new meaning and aura, wonder why he removed it from his final version, Kavakos has a great recording on it, the score is not available unless you contact and get special permit from the Sibelius family to record it, but there is a decent transcription in KZbin

[@kittychan8900]

Hello, is there any link to the aforementioned recording?

[@alejandronarvaez9806]

@@kittychan8900 just search Sibelius Violin Concerto Original Version (1903-04), Kavakos has an álbum recording from 1991 which is available in KZbin or Spotify

[@alejandronarvaez9806]

@@kittychan8900 second cadenza transcription was uploaded by a channel named John S (JohnShinViolinist)

[@esteban100]

There is a violinist on youtube that recorded all the Beethoven concerto cadenzas

[@sabrinai]

8:49 Ray sounds so Australian here 😂

[@ellieloya]

Bartok violin concertos!!

[@merodeadorNocturno]

Where would you rate the Jinx Cadenza?

[@b_l_k7833]

Ryan in the trailer is like marcin if he played violin😂😂

[@gb9252]

Cannot believe Tartini violin sonata's cadenza isnt in here!

[@lari-san8345]

Es muy similar a los vídeos que ya había hecho el canal de "TwoSetViolin". 🤨 Pero admito que lo disfruté, porque amo el violín.

[@richardlehoux]

Are they any present violinists known to compose or improvise a cadenza?

[@markanthonymarzan2497]

Rayy

[@susanhowland3794]

It would take me a year for more than half of those! Lol

[@violinwritten]

Conus’s cadenza

[@robotnik77]

Where the heck do you find the sheet music for cadenzas anyway? Ricci must have had a source since he made a CD of them, but I can never find them in print. Are they stashed in Prof. Galamian's trunk underneath the Brooklyn Bridge? or Dorothy DeLay's lost footlocker?

[@EthanLi-yf3zw]

you gotta give me that niche coffee grinder🥺

[@BlackViolinist_]

To be honest it's gonna take me more upto a year to master any of all those cadenzas😂 9:20 don't mind ray saying two weeks😂

[@wadrianalefe6490]

There is no cadenza in the first movement ofshosty's VC 😅. It would technically be after the 3rd movement, the Passacaglia

[@ka-fa1500]

Ray: my tier list my rules Shostakovich: wingardium leviOsa!

[@annescholten9313]

❤

[@TheRealCartoony]

"I'm here saving your time" Ah yes if only we could play these cadenzas

[@DerekNordicTan]

Try playing Paul Hindemith violin sonata in G minor, and Rachmaninoff Violin Prelude in G Minor

[@DerekNordicTan]

Also the Nel Cor piu mi sento by paganini

[@mintagenart]

For those who think Ray gave too little time, note that he's assuming you practice 40 hours per day.

[@Geoplanetjane]

He is THE Ling Ling