# Modern and contemporary works for recorder



## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

I have long been a fan of the recorders, and I'm glad to see that after almost two centuries in limbo, the instrument has staged a big-time comeback. Even just a few decades ago, recorder parts in Baroque music were often given to flutists; nowadays it is far more common to see these parts played by the instrument they were written for.

And over the past few decades, a great deal of new music has been written for the instrument. This is the thread in which to post favourite works/recordings.

I'll start with perhaps the most popular and accessible modern work for recorder, the "Moonchild's Dream" concerto by Thomas Koppel:






Here's one I recently discovered, a concertino by one Thomas Clausen (haven't heard of him before!):






And one by South African composer Hendrik Hofmeyr (I also posted it in some other thread, but what the heck):











Feel free to add some more!


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

I guess the recorder is not anyone's favourite instrument - perhaps too much trauma from days in primary school music classes listening to the little things squeak and shriek like piglets led to slaughter...


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

There is great old and modern music for recorder both in classical and folk music!


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

For instance the Rendsberger Tänze by Hans Poser (have them on vinyl in a better rendition).






Also Hans-Martin Linde's Music for a Bird.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Casebearer said:


> There is great old and modern music for recorder both in classical and folk music!


I'm surprised that one does not see the instrument more in pop and folk music, though I notice that YouTube is replete with amateurs doing covers of pop and folk songs. Some of these are actually rather nice. And then there is a lot of very experimental stuff, like the videos you posted. It seems the recorder to some extent lends itself more to experimental and extended techniques than the flute, because it doesn't need much in the way of precise embouchure.

Thus one hears such curiosities as players humming through the instrument while playing (Glenn Gould might have made a good recorder player!), or even playing two recorders simultaneously, as in the Hofmeyr concerto I posted in the OP. It remains to be seen whether such techniques will ever really catch on.


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2017)

First one I thought of:






The second piece I thought of was this Rolf Riehm piece that isn't on youtube...


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Alas, I get a message that the video isn't available...


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Michala Petri: Jonathan Harvey,
Recorder Concerto (4th Movement) 
Is this one working?


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Pugg said:


> Michala Petri: Jonathan Harvey,
> Recorder Concerto (4th Movement)
> Is this one working?


It is working; thanks for sharing. This is really rather lovely. I'll have to go see if I can find the other movements. ;-)

Edit: Hmm, I see at the YouTube link the composer is Richard Harvey, not Jonathan Harvey. There is a composer by name of Jonathan Harvey, and he even has a Wikipedia page. Richard Harvey does not. Presumably he isn't famous enough. Or perhaps Jonnie and Richie are the same person.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Ah, now I see why the name Richard Harvey seemed so familiar: I already have a recording of a lovely guitar concerto by him...


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2017)

Pugg said:


> Michala Petri: Jonathan Harvey,
> Recorder Concerto (4th Movement)
> Is this one working?


I remember you being notoriously careless with first names when I tried doing a poll series, lol. Some things never change I guess.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

nathanb said:


> I remember you being notoriously careless with first names when I tried doing a poll series, lol. Some things never change I guess.


I am so glad not being Mr Perfect, just human, L.O.L


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