The Serenade for Solo Violin, Strings, Harp and Percussion (after Plato's "Symposium") is a five-movement concerto written by Leonard Bernstein in 1954. The Serenade is highly unusual in that the composer was inspired by Plato's Symposium, a dialogue of related statements in praise of love, each statement made by a distinguished speaker. The five speakers who inspired Bernstein's five movements are as follows, together with his musical markings:
Although the Serenade is for violin, harp and percussion, the violin is the most prominent solo instrument. The work can therefore be considered essentially a violin concerto.
The composition is about a half hour in length.