We’re all anxiously waiting for life to return to concert halls, but it might be some time before we hear the big symphonies once again. In the meantime, the colorful possibilities of smaller outfits such as chamber and string orchestras are there to be experienced. We dug deep into our catalogues to discover beautiful works, hidden gems, and exciting soundscapes from the 20th and 21st centuries.
If you are looking for a specific instrumentation, please reach out to us.
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Bartók, Béla
Dances of Transylvania (1916)
for string orchestra
5.4.3.3.1
Duration: 5’
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Four Small Dances and Six Hungarian Folksongs
fl – hp – vl – 6.4.3.3.1
Duration: 11’
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Ten Easy Pieces (1908)
for string orchestra
from the series “For Children”
5.4.3.3.1
Duration: 10’
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Brass, Nikolaus
Von wachsender Gegenwart (2006)
for 19 solo strings
5.5.4.3.2
Duration: 20’
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Fujikura, Dai
Infinite String (2014)
for strings
6.6.4.3.1 (minimum)
Duration: 15’
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Járdányi, Pál
Sinfonietta per archi (1940)
for strings
Duration: 7’
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Odeh-Tamimi, Samir
Bukká (2003)
for string orchestra
5.5.4.3.1
Duration: 7’
Pagh-Paan, Younghi
Lebensbaum III (2015)
for 16 string instruments
4.4.4.3.1
Duration: 8’
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Poppe, Enno
Wald (2010)
for 4 string quartets
4. 4. 4. 4. 0.
Duration: 24’
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Szőllősy, András
Concerto No. 3 (1968)
for 16 strings
5.4.3.3.1 (+ campana)
Duration: 13'
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Tristia (Maros-sirató) (1983)
for 16 strings
5.4.3.3.1
Duration: 10'
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Addio per violino principale e 9 archi (2002)
solo violin – 2.2.2.2.1
Duration: 11'
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Tihanyi, László
In the Forests of the Night (2015)
for 15 strings
4.4.3.3.1 – perc, handled by string players
Duration: 12'
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Weiner, Leó
Divertimento No. 1 (1924)
after Old Hungarian Dances
for string orchestra
ad lib. picc.cor.tr – 1.1.1.1.1
Duration: 9'
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Divertimento No. 2 (1934)
Hungarian Folk Melodies
for string orchestra
Duration: 15'
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Pastorale, Fantasy and Fugue (1938)
for string orchestra
Duration: 20'
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Balassa, Sándor
Overture and Scenes (2010)
for string orchestra
Duration: 28'
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Bella, Máté
Lethe (2014)
for string orchestra
6.6.4.4.2
Duration: 16'
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Haas, Georg Friedrich
Release (2016)
for ensemble
hrp.pf – 6.6.4.4.2
Duration: 25’
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Read the program note and press quotes in our
blog article.
Klartag, Yair
Con forza di gravità (2013)
for string orchestra
6.5.4.4.2
Duration: 15’
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Kocsár, Miklós
Sequenze per archi (1980)
Duration: 10'
Kurtág, György
Sinfonia breve: In memoriam Márta Fried (2004)
for string orchestra
Duration: 2'
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“to the 100 years old”. Hommage à Takács Jenő 100 (2002)
for string orchestra
Duration: 3'
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Lang, Bernhard
Felder (1994)
1. Felder ... im Vorübergehen
2. Feld - Studie
for (amplified) string orchestra
Duration: 10
Lendvay, Kamilló
Musica la dolce (1995)
A serenade for strings
Duration: 13'
Maros, Rudolf
Notices (1972)
for string orchestra
Duration: 9'
Nemtsov, Sarah
SHESH (2014)
for (amplified) string orchestra
5.5.5.5.3 (minimum)
Duration: 18'
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Pagh-Paan, Younghi
Lebensbaum II (2014)
tpt.trb – perc – str (5.4.4.3.2)
Duration: 7'
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Sári, József
Fossils (1974)
for string orchestra
Duration: 13'
Sáry, László
… and the Sun? (1986)
for string orchestra
Duration: 6'
Streich, Lisa
MANTEL(2018)
for string orchestra and 2 percussion
2perc – 6.5.4.3.1
Duration: 20'
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Shiori Usui
In Digestion (2010)
for string orchestra
2perc – 6.5.4.3.1
Duration: 7'
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Bettinelli, Bruno
Omaggio a Strawinsky (1984)
Divertimento for chamber orchestra
fl.ob.cl.bsn.hn – str
Duration: 14'
Castiglioni, Niccolò
Concertino per la notte di Natale (1952)
for orchestra
2.2.2 – str
Duration 14’
View the score on nkoda
Jávori, Ferenc
Klezmer Suite (1999)
movements can be performed individually
for mixed ensemble
vl.cl (B-flat).trb.acc.pf.perc.db – str
Duration: 37'
Kurtág, György
Brefs messages (2011)
for nine instruments
ca.cl. bcl – hn.tpt.trb – vl.vla.vc
Duration: 10'
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Lendvay, Kamilló
Concerto da camera (1969)
1.1.1.1 – 1.0.0.0 – pf.hp – perc – str
Duration: 10'
Schoenberg, Adam
Finding Rothko (2006)
for chamber orchestra
2.2.2.2 – 2.2.0.0 – piano/celesta – 2perc – 1.1.1.1.1
Duration: 16'
Shin, Donghoon
Of Rats and Men (2019)
2.1.1.2 – 2.1.1.0 – 6.5.4.3.2
Duration: 11’
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Szőllősy, András
Elegy (1993)
for 10 instruments (or chamber orchestra)
1.1.1.1 – 1.0.0.0 – 1.1.1.1.1 (or: 4.4.4.3.1)
Duration: 13'
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Tornyai, Péter
QuatreQuatuors (2010)
for chamber ensemble
1.1.2.1 – 1.1.1.0 – cymb – pf.hp.cel – 1.1.1.1.0
Duration: 14'
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Askin, Ali N.
Peterchens Mondfahrt (2017)
for chamber orchestra and narrator
narrator – str (6.5.4.3.2)
Duration: 60'
Read more about the world premiere in our
blog article.
Balassa, Sándor
Fantasy (2002)
for harp and string orchestra
Duration: 16'
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Farkas, Ferenc
Concertino No. 4 (1983)
for oboe and string orchestra
Duration: 12'
Kocsár, Miklós
Episodi (1982)
for oboe and string orchestra
Duration: 15'
Newski, Sergej
Heath (2018)
for viola and string orchestra
vla – perc – hp.pf – 5.5.5.3.1
Duration: 12’
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Neuwirth, Olga
Aello – ballet mécanomorphe (2016/2017)
for solo flute, 2 muted trumpets, string ensemble, keyboard and typewriter
solo flute – 0.0.0.0 – 0.2.0.0 – perc – synth – 3.3.2.2.0
Duration: 18’
Read the interview with Claire Chase about Aello.
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Szőllősy, András
Addio per violino principale e 9 archi (2002)
solo violin – 2.2.2.2.1
Duration: 11'
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Weiner, Leó
Romanza (1949)
for violoncello, harp and string orchestra
Duration: 9'
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Alfano, Franco
3 Liriche per voce e orchestra (1941)
Text in Italian by Rabindranath Tagore, German translation by R.S.Hoffmann
1.1.1.1 – 1.1.0.0 – perc – cel. hp. pf – str
Duration: 8’
View the score on nkoda
Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Mario
Capriccio diabolico Op. 85b (1945)
for guitar and orchestra
2.1.2.1 – 2 – timp. perc (=1) – hp – str (4.4.3.2.1.)
Duration: 9’
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Concerto italiano (1924)
in sol minore for violin and orchestra
2.2.2.2 – 2.2. – timp – org – str
Duration: 33 ‘
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Castiglioni, Niccolò
Concertino per la notte di Natale (1952)
for orchestra
2.2.2 – str
Duration 14’
View the score on nkoda
Dávid, Gyula
Concerto for violin and orchestra (1965)
vl – 1.1.1.1 – 2.1.0.0 – timp.perc – hp – str
for string orchestra
Duration: 18'
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Eötvös, Péter
da capo (Mit Fragmenten aus W. A. Mozarts Fragmenten) (2014)
cimb/mar – 1.1.2.1 – 1.1.1.1 – perc – 1.1.1.1
Duration: 17'
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Ghedini, Giorgio Federico
Concerto detto L’Alderina (1950)
per flauto, violino e orchestra
timp – cel – str
Duration: 13'
Musica da concerto (1953)
for viola (or viola d’amore) and strings
Duration: 22'
Musica concertante (1962)
for cello and strings
Duration: 15'
Sonata da concerto (1958)
for flute, strings and percussion
Duration: 18'
Hidas, Frigyes
Concerto for horn no. 1 (1965)
horn – perc (5 players) – cel. hp. – str
Duration: 20'
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Concerto for harp and orchestra (1979)
harp – cel.vib – str
Duration: 20'
Járdányi, Pál
Concerto for harp and orchestra (1961)
harp – 1.1.2.1 – 2.0.0.0 – timp – str
Duration: 13'
Kocsár, Miklós
Concerto in memoriam Z. H. (1983)
for horn and chamber orchestra
horn – perc (2 players) – hp – str
Duration: 16'
Láng, István
Concerto bucolico (1971)
for horn and orchestra
horn – timp.vib.cymb – hp.pf – 8.7.6.5.4
Duration: 15'
Malipiero, Gian Francesco
Dialoghi (1955-57)
Dialoghi - I con Manuel de Falla (1955- 56)
(“in memoriam”)
for small orchestra
1.1.1.2 – 2 – perc – pf – str
Duration: 11'
View the score on nkoda
Dialoghi - V Viola e orchestra (1956)
“Quasi concerto”
vla –1.1.1.2 – 2 – pf – str
Duration: 15'
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Dialoghi - VI Clavicembalo e orchestra (1956)
“Quasi concerto”
Hpsd – 1.1.1.1 – 2 – str
Duration:15'
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Odeh-Tamimi, Samir
Šamaš (2018)
Concerto for viola and string orchestra
vla – 0.0.0.0 – 0.0.0.0 – perc – 5.4.3.3.1
Duration: 18’
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Poppe, Enno
Filz (2014)
for viola solo, 4 clarinets and strings
vla – 4cl – str (4.4.4.4.2)
Duration: 25’
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Ránki, György
Don Quijote et Dulcinea (1960)
for oboe and small orchestra
oboe – timp – hp.cel – str
Duration: 7'
Wolf-Ferrari, Ermanno
Idillio-Concertino (1932)
in La maggiore op.15
for solo oboe, string orchestra and 2 horns
1. Preambolo. 2. Scherzo. 3. Adagio. 4. Rondò
Duration: 20'
Suite-Concertino (1933)
in Fa maggiore op. 16
for solo bassoon, string orchestra and 2 horns
1. Notturno. 2.Strimpellata. 3.Canzone. 4.Finale
Duration: 20’
View more recommendations here.
Photo: Jann Wilken (Emilio Pomarico)