BaL 5.12.20 - Strauss: Horn Concerto no. 2

[makropulos]

Having seen David Fanning play the piano several times at Manchester University concerts, I am happy to apologise if he feels slighted in any way, however, his "day job" is as Professor of Music at Manchester. He is, of course, the western world's leading authority on Weinberg and has published on many other Soviet era Russian composers as well as Nielsen.

Yes, I know that –we were undergraduates together :)
I'm sure he won't feel the least bit slighted –I was just making the point that Gramophone does have some excellent (and active) performers in its line-up of critics.

[Petrushka]

I've just found on my shelves a very early recording of the Strauss Horn Concerto No 2 given by Gottfried von Freiberg for whom Strauss wrote the concerto in 1942. Freiberg was the principal horn of the Wiener Philharmoniker and they are conducted by Karl Böhm in a radio performance recorded by the Deutschen Reichsrundfunks Wien on November 29 1943.

It's on the Orfeo label C376 941B if anyone is interested though not sure of availability. As you might expect, the sound is pretty ropey but it's a historical document. Wonder if Sarah Willis is aware of its existence?

[makropulos]

I've just found on my shelves a very early recording of the Strauss Horn Concerto No 2 given by Gottfried von Freiberg for whom Strauss wrote the concerto in 1942. Freiberg was the principal horn of the Wiener Philharmoniker and they are conducted by Karl Böhm in a radio performance recorded by the Deutschen Reichsrundfunks Wien on November 29 1943.

It's on the Orfeo label C376 941B if anyone is interested though not sure of availability. As you might expect, the sound is pretty ropey but it's a historical document. Wonder if Sarah Willis is aware of its existence?

Yes, I've got that one too. As you say, it's very interesting to have the original performers of the work playing it so soon after the premiere.

[Goon525]

I've just found on my shelves a very early recording of the Strauss Horn Concerto No 2 given by Gottfried von Freiberg for whom Strauss wrote the concerto in 1942. Freiberg was the principal horn of the Wiener Philharmoniker and they are conducted by Karl Böhm in a radio performance recorded by the Deutschen Reichsrundfunks Wien on November 29 1943.

It's on the Orfeo label C376 941B if anyone is interested though not sure of availability. As you might expect, the sound is pretty ropey but it's a historical document. Wonder if Sarah Willis is aware of its existence?

So aware that we’re already getting a second excerpt from it.

[Keraulophone]

.

“I had a lovely half-hour on the phone with Norbert” [...about this recording].

One of the advantages of employing an expert practitioner of the instrument steeped in the horn world.

Really enjoying this.

.

[Ein Heldenleben]

So aware that we’re already getting a second excerpt from it.

Yes poor Von Freiburg had a bit of a ‘mare’ with the opening fanfare . Still reeling at the idea of Von Karajan conducting a complete recording with a young BPO principal horn with NO rehearsal at all. And he had the reputation of being a control freak ...

[Ein Heldenleben]

Blimey for once a Karajan / BPO recording has come out on top ....when was the last time that happened ?
Always thought rehearsal a complete waste of time ....
Horn player Norbert Hauptmann

[LeMartinPecheur]

Ms Willis didn't IIRC dismiss a single recording as badly played, misguided in tempi or anything else: she had a good word for all the soloists it seemed. Very kind of her, but not quite BaL as we usually know it! Her key criterion at the close seemed to be whether the horn player had the sort of Germanic tone she likes, though she didn't try to say this was necessary for all listeners. Perhaps all this shows that as long as you get the notes right (or generally right in the case of Von Freiburg) the work will come out fine? So maybe not a classic BaL subject at all?

With Brain, Damm and Pyatt already on the shelves I don't think I'll be rushing for another version, but will try to remember to snap up the Karajan/ BPO if I ever see it at a sensible price.

[Goon525]

Blimey for once a Karajan / BPO recording has come out on top ....when was the last time that happened ?
Always thought rehearsal a complete waste of time ....
Horn player Norbert Hauptmann

I like Sarah Willis a lot, and watch her play with the BPO via the DCH - but I do wonder a bit about the propriety of picking someone you know (having had a conversation with him about it) playing with your own orchestra.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Anyone wanting the 'unavailable' Vlatkovic of which Sarah spoke highly can find a not too extortionate copy here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Radovan-Vla...=music&sr=1-19

Or send it to Sarah as she suggested?

[kuligin]

The programme has improved over the last few weeks as by rehearsal or whatever the interruptions make far more sense and their number varies according to need.

I can’t say this was a good example though. The best was Vixen, where perhaps helped by the number of versions there was a systematic approach leading to 2 finalists who were separated by a careful chosen extract.

Today every horn player was fabulous so I don’t understand how we got to the winner. A lot of information and knowledge some even germane.

[Petrushka]

I didn't listen to the programme (will catch up later) so I don't know if Sarah pointed out that Karajan never performed this work in concert.

Any horn player who takes on this piece must, by definition, be 'fabulous' otherwise they'd never have got the booking in the first place. Any shortcomings in playing would be ruthlessly exposed on this of all instruments so I'd guess that differences would lie in interpretation, the timbre of the horn and the orchestral accompaniment.

[Goon525]

I didn't listen to the programme (will catch up later) so I don't know if Sarah pointed out that Karajan never performed this work in concert.

Any horn player who takes on this piece must, by definition, be 'fabulous' otherwise they'd never have got the booking in the first place. Any shortcomings in playing would be ruthlessly exposed on this of all instruments so I'd guess that differences would lie in interpretation, the timbre of the horn and the orchestral accompaniment.

She didn’t talk much about interpretation, but horn timbre featured a lot. I missed the sense of a number of candidates gradually being whittled down until only two or three remained, and then a winner picked with reasons. Having said that, I’ve just listened to the winner (via Qobuz 96/24 transfer), and I CAN see why she chose it - it’s gorgeous, and 70s BPO sound just perfect for R Strauss. I withdraw a slightly disparaging comment I made about the work early in this thread - it’s fine melancholic late Strauss.

[Petrushka]

She didn’t talk much about interpretation, but horn timbre featured a lot. I missed the sense of a number of candidates gradually being whittled down until only two or three remained, and then a winner picked with reasons. Having said that, I’ve just listened to the winner (via Qobuz 96/24 transfer), and I CAN see why she chose it - it’s gorgeous, and 70s BPO sound just perfect for R Strauss. I withdraw a slightly disparaging comment I made about the work early in this thread - it’s fine melancholic late Strauss.

I have the Karajan in the 1960s box where it's coupled with Lothar Koch in the Oboe Concerto which, I think, was itself a BaL winner. A great disc.

[gurnemanz]

She didn’t talk much about interpretation, but horn timbre featured a lot. I missed the sense of a number of candidates gradually being whittled down until only two or three remained, and then a winner picked with reasons.

The approach was slightly different but I enjoyed the review. The reference to hornists tending to be either "wind players" or "brass players" was new to me and seemed to this non-specialist to be quite apposite, also when she, as a Berlin resident, included a little bit of inadvertent German, referring to "the vibrato which Peter Damm hat". I've heard the type of horn mishap to which even top players can be prone (we had an example) referred to in Germany as a "Hornkickser", but hadn't comes across the horn described as a "Glücksspirale", a nice image to convey the randomness of what might come out when you blow into it.