This collection of
works with French horn is devoted to
the art of hornist William Barnewitz,
principal horn of both the Milwaukee
Symphony and the Santa Fe Opera. The
instrumental pieces were recorded in
Milwaukee, while the vocal ones were
made in Santa Fe with soloists of the
Santa Fe Opera’s production of Massenet’s
Cendrillon. Proceeds of sale
benefit Parkinson’s Research and Education;
Mr. Barnewitz was diagnosed with Parkinson’s
disease in 2001. This recording showcases
his talents extremely well. He also
made a recording in 2001 which included
excellent performances of the other
Mozart Quintet (for horn and
strings, K.407) and the Brahms Horn
Trio, Op. 40 for Summit Records
(Summit 288).
The program offers
a nice variety of music, with the three
songs and the Mozart Wind Quintet being
highlights. Conradin Kreutzer is a rarely
recorded composer of the early Romantic
period who wrote operas, songs, and
chamber music. His music is most commonly
performed on song recitals. Das Mühlrad
(The Mill Wheel), which bears a resemblance
in its theme to Schubert’s Die Schöne
Müllerin, but has its own individuality,
was originally scored for clarinet,
voice, and piano. The horn version also
appears to be by Kreutzer. It is a beautiful
work and is splendidly performed here
by Joyce DiDonato, who is becoming very
well known in the opera world. The only
criticism I have here and indeed throughout
much of the recording is in the microphone
placement. The horn seems rather more
prominent than the piano or even the
voice, so the balance can be thrown
off at times. One gets used to it especially
with Barnewitz’s beautifully mellow,
golden tone. His use of vibrato in many
of the selections is also very well
done — not too much, but just enough
to enhance the romantic nature of much
of the music.
Strauss wrote the Andante,
the slow movement for an uncompleted
sonata, for his parents’ twenty-fifth
wedding anniversary, while his Alphorn
was composed ten years earlier when
Strauss was only fifteen years old.
Neither piece gives any hint of the
mature Strauss, although the Andante
was actually composed in the same year
as Don Juan. Both works show
the influence that Strauss’s horn-playing
father must have had one him and both
display a lyrical romanticism typical
earlier in the nineteenth century. The
Alphorn is a particularly lovely
song and the performance is good, although
I would have preferred a less operatic
voice than Jennifer Holloway’s. The
piano also has a rather dead sound and
could use some tuning. The horn playing
leaves nothing to be desired, however.
The balance is not a problem with the
Andante. Even though the piano
here is more of an accompaniment, Ursula
Oppens’ piano has a brighter sound,
is in good tune, and makes itself heard
as appropriate.
Schubert’s famous late
song, Auf dem Strom (On the
River), has received many recorded
performances, both with soprano and
tenor. This one with Anne-Carolyn Bird
reminded me of one of my favorite versions:
the Benita Valente, Myron Bloom, Rudolf
Serkin recording on Sony (SBK 48176).
These artists knock almost a minute
from the older recording, but in no
way does it seem rushed. Bird has the
right kind of lyric voice that does
not overdo the dramatic elements of
the song and Barnewitz again is the
perfect partner. His trills are particularly
good. If only the piano projected more,
I would rank this alongside the Sony
as my favorite female version of the
work.
Mozart’s Quintet
for Piano and Winds is one of his
most well-known chamber works and one
of the first written for this combination
of instruments. It greatly influenced
Beethoven in his similar work. It beautifully
integrates the four winds with the piano
and this performance is superb. The
balance here is judicious with none
of the instruments unduly predominant.
The wind soloists are all members of
the Milwaukee Symphony and all but the
oboist are principals. The pianist is
again the excellent Ursula Oppens. The
musicians all sound like they are as
delighted with the music as the listener
is in this vivacious, yet thoughtful
performance. I detected only one instance
of coarseness in the clarinet tone (at
4:14-4:20 in the second movement) and
that may have been due to the recording.
The other Mozart work,
"Lungi da te, mio bene",
an aria from the early opera Mitridate
rounds out the disc’s main attractions.
It has a beautifully lyrical soprano
solo and the horn is an equal partner.
Mozart assigned the role of Mitridate’s
son in this aria to a soprano and undoubtedly
had heard a horn player that inspired
him to write the substantial horn part.
The piece begins with a lengthy horn
introduction and then accompanies the
soprano practically throughout the piece
interspersed with solo interludes. The
piano, in this reduction, plays a more
minor role. Eglise Gutierrez has a lovely
Mozartean voice and again Barnewitz
partners her well.
The disc begins and
ends with "encore" pieces:
Barnewitz’s arrangements of popular
Bach and Brahms pieces and they sound
well enough on the horn. I, however,
prefer them in their vocal contexts.
This disc is recommended,
then, and not only for horn aficionados.
I can only hope that we will be hearing
more from William Barnewitz.
Leslie Wright
William Barnewitz (horn); Ursula Oppens
(piano) 
