I sent my resume to a professional orchestra recently, and they asked me to send a recording.
I’m curious whether the purpose of this recording is to assess if the candidate is qualified to pass their prelims, or if invitations are only extended to those who are likely to make it to the finals.
I am not sure if I should consider this "recorded round" as prescreening rounds when applying to schools, or actually take it as a final round.
Usually when an orchestra requests a recording, it's because they intend to invite only a limited number of applicants, and perhaps the candidate's resume does not already show significant experience. I like to think of this as a "free" prelim, so the committee can listen to me and tell me if they do/don't like my playing without me having to travel all the way there at my own expense. Whether or not they will accept on the criteria of "qualified to pass prelims" vs "likely to make finals" I think depends on the committee.
I've been rejected many times, but also been accepted/advanced a few times from recordings, so if it's in the cards for you to make a recording, go for it!