#Hornlikes - Favourite Selections for Horn Quartet
German Hornsound
rec. 2017, Filialkirche St. Pankratius und Sebastian, Warstein, Germany
GENUIN CLASSICS GEN18493 [72:38]
I recently gave a talk on the horn to a local recorded music society and, typically, this disc arrived a couple of days after my talk. Whilst I did use music for horn quartet in my talk it was original and to have a disc like this one, that presents well known pieces arranged for four horns would have been good. The concept is an easy one to understand, each of the four players have chosen pieces of music that they like and then in all but two cases either Stephan Schottstädt or Christoph Eß has arranged the piece for the Quartet. This is the fourth disc for Genuin that German Hornsound has recorded and the first to present a program such as this.
Whilst all the arrangements are skilfully carried out and played well, for me some are more successful than others. On the whole, I particularly like the slower pieces presented here, especially the Drei Choräle by Bruckner and the Mendelssohn pieces, with these coming off particularly well. The Dvořák on the other hand is fine in the slow ‘Going Home’ section but a little less so in the quicker more rhythmical sections.
The Bach is given a spirited well-crafted arrangement and performance, but I do miss the lightness of the strings. Whilst the Offertorio from Verdi’s Requiem is lovely, as is the Humperdinck, the Scherzo from Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony and the Chor der Landsleute from Weber’s Der Freischütz are quicker pieces that work well in this arrangement.
All the pieces are arranged well and presented in an enjoyable manner; for me it is the sonority of the instruments that is key, and it is just that this comes off better in the slower pieces. That being said, I did enjoy this disc, and it would be hard for anyone to listen to this disc without a smile on their face. The playing is excellent throughout, as are the notes and the recorded sound: I only wish I had received this disc a week earlier!
Stuart Sillitoe
Contents
George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Water Music, Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: III. Allegro [2:01]
Rinaldo, HWV 7: Lascia ch'io pianga [3:41]
Giovanni Battista PERGOLESI (1710-1736)
Stabat Mater, P. 77: No. 1, Stabat Mater dolorosa [4:11]
Antonín DVOŘÁK(1841-1904)
Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, B. 178 "From the New World": II. Largo [7:06]
Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Drei Choräle: Andante [2:41] (arr. Michael Höltzer), Alleluja [2:30], Gebet [1:55]
Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)
Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen über dir, MWV B53 [3:14]
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13: No. 7, Notturno [6:26]
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major BWV 1047 III. Allegro assai [3:07]
Alessandro MARCELLO (1673-1747)
Oboe Concerto in D Minor, S. Z799: II. Adagio [4:48]
Anton BRUCKNER
Symphony No. 4 in E-Flat Major, WAB 104 "Romantic" (1878 Version): III. Scherzo. Bewegt [4:48]
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Messa da Requiem: III. Offertorio [8:03]
Astor PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992)
Meditango [6:09] (arr. Georg Köhler)
Richard WAGNER (1813-1883)
Siegfried, WWV 86c: Waldweben (Excerpt) [1:44]
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, D. 759 "Unfinished": II. Andante con moto [5:59]
Engelbert HUMPERDINCK (1854-1921)
Hänsel und Gretel: Abendsegen [2:36]
Carl Maria von WEBER (1786-1826)
Der Freischütz, Op. 77, J. 277: Chor der Landsleute [1:30]
