Did you or your friends learn to play the recorder in elementary school? The recorder, a woodwind instrument with a thumb-hole and seven finger-holes, easily fits into a child's hand and was one of the most common wind instruments of the Renaissance era. Although it was not prominently featured during the Classical and Romantic periods, it was revived in the 20th century as part of the resurgence of the early-music movement.
The recorder will play a big part in the March 31, 2007 concert by the Norwalk Symphony. Horacio Franco, a famous recorder player, will demonstrate his virtuostic capabilities and enormous versatilities in Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto in D major ("Il Gardellino") and Lukas Foss' Renaissance Concerto. One should note that these two concertos were written for the flute. The concert will be rounded out with Henry Purcell's Suite from the Opera King Arthur and Alexander Glazunov's Suite from the Middle Ages.
For those wishing to acquaint themselves with recorder pieces, the Library has Georg Philipp Telemann's Concerti for Recorder, Georg Philipp Telemann, Jean-Baptiste Loeillet, and Michel de La Barre's 18th-Century Recorder Sonatas, and Antonio Vivaldi's Concerti for Recorder.