>Hindemith     Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 38  1925
>
>I'm not counting anything for string orchestra, or with "grosso" in
>the name.  Looks as though it just might have been Hindemith.  -Dave]

I've always assumed that, subject to the restrictions Dave has set forth,
the Hindemith Op.  38 is indeed the first, the Bloch Concerto Grosso [No.
1] would be a tie, in 1925.

Heinrich Kaminski (1886-1946) wrote a Concerto Grosso for Double Orchestra
in 1922, known to posterity, I suspect, only for its citation in Hermann
Scherchen's book on conducting.

There is a Walter Piston Concerto for Orchestra from the mid-30s, too.

May I obliquely add to this list the Hindemith "Philharmonic Concerto",
written in 1932 for the Berlin Philharmonic's 50th anniversary; actually a
theme and six variations, of which the middle four spotlight the different
sections of the orchestra in turn.

Even during the days when Hindemith's music was more often played than
it is now this work didn't get played much; one of my first conducting
teachers, Izler Solmon gave its American premiere and took it with him on
guest dates whenever possible--I caught up with it when he conducted it
with the Boston Symphony in 1959; this was their first performance.

The only CD recording is on Berlin Classics; it hasn't turned up in the BBC
Philharmonic's Hindemith series for Chandos.

For all practical purposes, however, references to "Concerto for Orchestra"
both inside and outside the music profession seem to refer to Bartok's
masterpiece, I find....

Joel Lazar
Enjoying very much at the moment the new BBC Philharmonic/Tortelier Kodaly
CD, which includes his Concerto for Orchestra.