Which orchestral piece has the best:
1) Piccolo Solo
2) Flute Solo
3) Oboe Solo
4) Cor Anglais Solo
5) Clarinet Solo
6) Bass Clarinet Solo
7) Bassoon Solo
8) Contra Bassoon Solo

Mine would be:
1) Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 4 third movement
2) Debussy: L'Apres Midi
3) Barber: Violin Concerto 2nd movement
4) Bliss: Adam Zero (Ballet) approach to autumn
5) Beethoven: Symphony Number 4 2nd Movement
6) Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker dance of the sugar plum fairy (I know everyone says that)
7) Chopin: piano concerto number 1 2nd movement (more of a countermelody but really beautiful
8) Ravel: Mother Goose suit (its the only one I know but its cool)

Note that you don't have to think of all 8, I don't want to waste your time.

For Bassoon, which I know best, it's hard to pick just one. I agree the Chopin is a really good one, but there are some fantastic bassoon solos in Shostakovich symphonies; my favourite is probably the one in the first movement of the 10th symphony.

In fact, thinking about it, Shostakovich could cover nearly all of them (I can't think of a contra or bass clarinet solo offhand).

Chris

Talking of piccolos, the Tchaik 4 is a nice one, fun to play and the most famous, but not my fave. I did enjoy playing it, and was so chuffed when I nailed it ---> Tchaik 4 Wind soli

Difficult to choose the best one, but YPG by britten is nice, Shostakovich has written LOADS of brill solos too. OO and another fave is Sunrise from the Grand Canyon suite......

Is that you playing in the tchaikovsky - very impressive!

Interesting. I don't know any of those apart from YPG. I'll have to listen to them

Yes that Grand Canyon one is very nice. Sounds quite difficult to pull off what with the repeated notes. But then I'm an oboist so wouldn't really know.

I've changed my mind about the clarinet one. It has to be the one in the penultimate variation of the enigma variations.

8) there is a COOL contrabassoon solo in Shostakovich's 5th symphony (can't remember which movement though).

Nick