Can anyone suggest a Recorder concerto that might be good to play with a full orchestra.

It needs to be learnt fairly quickly so nothing too complicated. Only one movement required.

Do you really mean full orchestra. I'm sure there must be lots of possibilities for recorder plus strings, but must it include all the other sections of the orchestra too?

Depends how quickly you mean eg almost sight-readable. If it's for descant I would go for the Sammartini first movement, about grade 7/8. I performed the whole concerto last Summer and really enjoyed it, and so did the audience. If you meant treble, Vivaldi's Goldfinch should fit the bill, about the same level.

Or ask her teacher.

Already done the ask her teacher bit.

She is actually working on the Samartini for Grade 8, might be a possibility.

It doesn't have to be sightreadable by any means. The audition is February and the performance April. I'm thinking this will be more of an audition experience rather than anything more.




It has to be full orchestra.

Of course, Neil knows much more about these things than me, but my impression is that most of the Baroque concertos are scored for solo recorder and string orchestra, though some are double concertos involving another non-string solo instrument. I would have thought you needed to look for something more contemporary to stand a chance of finding anything for full orchestra. But what do I know?

Halka is right about the full orchestra thing, and unfortunately both my suggestions are only with string orchestra, delightful though they are. I don't know any Baroque concertos with more than strings, but even then it would be plus literally 'a few' wind (oboes, horns, bassoon maybe), A recorder would have trouble coming over a full orchestra anyway as it is much lighter than other wind, unless you have recorders made for this (like Piers Adams). There are some concertos by Bedford, Muller and the like, but I don't know them well enough.

Don't know what this is for, but if it must be a concerto with full orchestra she'd be better looking at oboe.

It's an audition to play with an Orchestra. I think she is already going to do something on Oboe. Recorder would be different as everyone will go for the usual orchestral instruments.

We are not thinking that she has any chance of being picked to play with the Orchestra so it would be more for audition/performance experience. In that case something for Recorder and strings might be acceptable.

Thank you Neil and Halka for the suggestions.

The last movement of the Vivaldi concerto on the grade 8 syllabus isn't too difficult - definitely below grade 8.

She's playing the one on Grade 8 at the moment. The suggested one might be worth looking at. Her teacher thinks Sammartini. We can't think about it anymore until after next Wednesday.

Thanks Sarah