Concerto Grosso 'Les Boréades'
Concerto grosso for strings, woodwinds, and continuo in F Major

Op. 1, No. 1 (RWV 1.1)

Edition Details

Composer: T.H. Richards (1951– )

Date: 2016

Key: F Major

Form: Concerto Grosso for multiple soloists and chamber orchestra in three movements.

Style: Neo-Baroque, based upon the Italianate virtuoso style of the mid-18th century.

Scoring:
Concertino group: Alto recorder, traverso, oboe, violin.
Ripieno group: Violin, Viola, Violoncello.
The continuo part is notated with bass-figuring throughout. Where the harpsichord has the solo, the right hand is realised.

In the second movement, the woodwinds are tacet and the ripieno violin becomes violin II of the concertino group.

Source: Composer's original digital file.

Editorial Category: Urtext edition, edited by the composer.

Contents: Full score, eight instrumental parts (58 pages total)

Comments: Conceived in the same spirit as the Brandenburg concertos, this neo-Baroque concerto grosso is a virtuoso showpiece in which every performer is given an opportunity to shine. It is particularly appropriate for conservatory and professional ensembles, but advanced amateurs willing to to take the fast movements at a tempo appropriate to their level of technical skills will find it a rewarding challenge.

Performance Notes: The first and third movements (allegretto con brio and presto, respectively) require solid technique from all the soloists in the concertino group. There are no surprises in the first movement until measure 35, where the second theme--a syncopated 'inverse hemiola'--is introduced. In the third movement, the limiting factor in choosing a tempo will be the triplets starting in measure 77. The second movement (adagio molto cantabile) is notated in 8:2 and comprises many long, sustained notes in the inner voices. It is a richly harmonic contrapuntal string quartet in which the cello and first violin conduct an exquisite, unabashedly lyrical musical conversation--a perfect opportunity for string players to demonstrate their purity of tone.