Maxim Vengerov has said that Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto is the greatest of all the violin concertos because Tchaikovsky wasn’t concerned with meeting some arbitrary standard of virtuosity required in a concerto (on the contrary, Sibelius’ violin concerto is often accused of being too overly-concerned with showcasing virtuosic ability), rather Tchaikovsky composed his violin concerto simply as an outpouring of his own emotion through musical composition.

It has likewise been said by many that David Oistrakh was the king of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto – that no one recorded it better and that it was the seminal recording of Oistrakh’s illustrious career.  Take a listen to his performance here: