instrumentation: Solo Fl. Solo Ob. Solo Bn. Solo Vn. Solo Vc. 3 Cl. 3 Hn. 3 Tbn. Hp Stgs.

Before writing a note of my Sinfonia, I first had to decide what sort of orchestra would support the five soloists. I wanted to avoid duplicating the timbre of the soloists in the orchestra, and this meant calling for a wind section without flutes, oboes, or bassoons. So I was left with clarinets. The brass section couldn’t be too heavy, lest the weight of it overbalance the somewhat “light” quality of t...