Explore orchestral music

The Boosey & Hawkes catalogue has a wide range of music for orchestra, performed around the world in concert halls and recording studios.

Orchestral News

Visit our News Centre for all the latest orchestral news including...
> Magnus Lindberg interview about Piano Concerto No.2
> HK Gruber: UK premiere of Northwind Pictures in Manchester
> Enrico Chapela: electric cello concerto premiered in LA

Orchestral Classics

Leading composers of orchestral music include:

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Rachmaninoff's rich, Romantic scores, full of Russian colour, include Piano Concerto No.2, Symphonic Dances and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Major works worthy of exploration include the tone poem The Isle of the Dead and the choral symphony The Bells.

>Listen to Rachmaninoff's music

Igor Stravinsky

His highly original ballets Petrushka and The Rite of Spring are now among the most popular of 20th century orchestral works. Scores from Stravinsky's neoclassical period include Symphony of Psalms for orchestra and choir, and smaller-scale works including the Pulcinella Suite and Apollon musagète.

>Listen to Stravinsky's music

Aaron Copland

Copland was a total master of orchestral music, as heard in his ballet scores Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid and Rodeo. Other works full of American flavour include El Salon Mexico and Music for a Great City. His ever-popular Fanfare for the Common Man appears in the finale of his Symphony No.3.

>Listen to Copland's music

Béla Bartók

Bartók's most widely performed orchestral works are the Concerto for Orchestra and virtuosic concertos that continue to attract the world's leading soloists: Piano Concerto No.3, Violin Concerto No.2 and the posthumous Viola Concerto. B&H is also the US publisher for Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta, the Miraculous Mandarin Suite and the Dance Suite.

>Listen to Bartók's music

Leonard Bernstein

The rhythmic energy of Bernstein's theatre works comes to the concert hall with the Candide Overture, Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and the On the Town Dance Episodes. Symphonic works include Serenade for violin and orchestra and The Age of Anxiety for piano and orchestra.

>Listen to Bernstein's music 

Benjamin Britten

Britten's orchestration shows clarity and colour, as heard in the Four Sea Interludes, the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra and the powerful Sinfonia da Requiem. Works with string orchestra include Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge, and the song cycles Serenade and Les Illuminations.

>Listen to Britten's music

Serge Prokofieff

Evergreen favourites by Prokofieff include the Classical Symphony, Lieutenant Kijé and the Suite from the Love for Three Oranges. B&H also publishes in the UK and Commonwealth the ballet music from Romeo and Juliet, Symphony No.5 and Alexander Nevsky.

>Listen to Prokofieff's music 

Richard Strauss

His skills in operatic music can be heard in early 20th century scores such as Salome's Dance and the Rosenkavalier Suite, while his tone poems include Symphonia Domestica. His late flowering in the 1940s included the Four Last Songs, Metamorphosen and the Oboe Concerto.

>Listen to Strauss's music

New Orchestral Works

Also explore exciting new works by B&H's leading contemporary composers who specialise in orchestral music

Other highlights of the Boosey & Hawkes orchestral catalogue include works by Delius, Einem, Elgar, Gerhard, Ginastera, Goldschmidt, Kodály, Markevitch, Martinu, Panufnik, Reger, Rorem and Yun.

John Adams

b.1947 Worcester, USA
Short Ride in a Fast Machine ... Violin Concerto ... Century Rolls ...

>Listen to John Adams's music

Harrison Birtwistle

b.1934 Accrington, UK
The Shadow of Night ... Exody ... Bach Measures ...

>Listen to Harrison Birtwistle's music

Elliott Carter

b.1908 New York City, USA
Symphonia ... Boston Concerto ... Three Illusions ...

>Listen to Elliott Carter's music

Magnus Lindberg

b.1958 Helsinki, Finland
Feria ... Clarinet Concerto ... Sculpture ...

>Listen to Magnus Lindberg's music

James MacMillan

b.1959 Kilwinning, UK
The Confession of Isobel Gowdie ... Veni, Veni, Emmanuel ... The World's Ransoming ...

>Listen to James MacMillan's music

Peter Maxwell Davies

b.1934 Manchester, UK
An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise ... Trumpet Concerto ... Antarctic Symphony ... 

>Listen to Peter Maxwell Davies's music

Christopher Rouse

b.1949 Baltimore, USA
Trombone Concerto ... Concert de Gaudí ... Rapture ...

>Listen to Christopher Rouse's music

Mark-Anthony Turnage

b.1960 Corringham, UK
Scherzoid ... Riffs and Refrains ... From the Wreckage ...

For a fuller list of Boosey & Hawkes contemporary composers please visit our Contemporary area.

Youth Orchestra

Boosey & Hawkes in conjunction with the National Association of Youth Orchestras (UK) invites youth orchestras to explore the rich and exciting repertoire created by 20th century and contemporary composers. Our list of works has been specially selected and graded for youth orchestra, and information includes helpful suggestions for training and rehearsals.
>Download a PDF list of works for youth orchestra

Search, Rental and Sale

You can search our extensive catalogue of orchestral music on rental using our Catalogue Search and place an online order via our Rental area. You can buy orchestral scores from our Online Shop or from your local dealer.

Page Menu

Explore orchestral music
Orchestral News
Orchestral Classics
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Igor Stravinsky
Aaron Copland
Béla Bartók
Leonard Bernstein
Benjamin Britten
Serge Prokofieff
Richard Strauss
New Orchestral Works
John Adams
Harrison Birtwistle
Elliott Carter
Magnus Lindberg
James MacMillan
Peter Maxwell Davies
Christopher Rouse
Mark-Anthony Turnage
Youth Orchestra
Search, Rental and Sale