Published 5 September 2026 · 9:37 · Video: Drew Henderson
Drew Henderson’s latest upload brings Vivaldi’s Concerto in D major, Op. 3 No. 9, RV 230, to a single guitar in John Williams’s arrangement. Released on Henderson’s own channel, the complete three-movement performance offers a useful companion to a score that Williams makes available free on his website.
Henderson explains that hearing Williams play the transcription in Toronto in the late 1990s left a lasting impression. For this recording he returns to that arrangement, with a few small adjustments, rather than presenting a new transcription of his own.
Follow the concerto
The opening Allegro begins at 0:00, the Larghetto at 2:39 and the final Allegro at 7:00. Listen for how the guitar suggests the contrast between solo passages and a larger ensemble: articulation, register and changes of texture become central to the musical argument.
For advanced students and teachers, comparing the performance with the score is an inviting way to explore what a concerto transcription preserves—and what it asks one player to imply.
Watch the original performance and read Henderson’s notes · Download the score from John Williams’s website