The violin concerto continued to inspire composers to produce some of their finest orchestral works throughout the 20th century. We've been a little flexible here – superb concertos written in the 20th century but in an obviously late-Romantic idiom, such as those by Elgar, Barber or Korngold, will appear in a further list of 'Romantic' concertos, while this list includes those very much created in a modern musical language. And for an even more up-to-date exploration of the genre, you can also see our list of violin concertos written by living composers. As usual, we've opted for more contemporary recordings over historic classics. And when you've read our list, do let us know which works and recordings would make your list in the comments section below.

Berg – Itzhak Perlman; Boston SO / Seiji Ozawa (DG) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon

Walton – Nigel Kennedy; RPO / André Previn (EMI) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon
 
Shostakovich (No 2) – Maxim Vengerov; LSO / Mstislav Rostropovich (Warner) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon

Prokofiev (No 2) – Nikolaj Znaider; Bavarian RSO / Mariss Jansons (RCA Red Seal) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon
 
Britten – Maxim Vengerov; LSO / Mstislav Rostropovich (EMI) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon
 
Sibelius – Leonidas Kavakos; Lahti SO / Osmo Vänskä (BIS) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon

Miaskovsky – Vadim Repin; Kirov Orchestra / Valery Gergiev (Decca) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon
 
Szymanowski (No 2) – Thomas Zehetmair; CBSO / Sir Simon Rattle (EMI) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon
 
Bartók (No 2) – Arabella Steinbacher; Orchestre de la Suisse Romande / Marek Janowski CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon

Stravinsky – Itzhak Perlman; Boston SO / Seiji Ozawa (DG) CD from Amazon / Download from Amazon

What recordings would appear in your Top 10? Why not add to our list by posting a comment below. (You need to be registered –  which is free – and logged in).