Reviews - Virtuoso Horn Duo CD
Here is a selection of reviews for the Virtuoso Horn Duo CD from magazines and websites.
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from Classical Music Guide, May 2007:
VIRTUOSO HORN DUO
Works for Two Horns and Chamber Orchestra
Haydn • Rosetti • Vivaldi • Turner
•Haydn: Concerto in E-flat for Two Horns & Orchestra
•Vivaldi/Z. Varga: Concerto #11 "L'Estro Armonico" for Two Horns and Strings
•Rosetti: Concerto No. III (16) [DTB 51]
•Kerry Turner: Twas a Dark and Stormy Night [2006)
for Two Horns and Strings
Kerry Turner and Kristina Mascher, horns
Sinfonietta Cracovia
Darius Wisniewski, conductor
MSR Records, MS 1181, DDD, 53:53
Here's another "find" from the Connecticut-based MSR Records company who offers a wonderfully diversified catalogue of music you are not likely to find elsewhere.
It is generally agreed that the French horn is the most difficult brass instrument to play. On many occasions, I've heard French horns in live concerts that would crack notes, or have bad attacks. Few French horn players maintain the status of a Dennis or Aubrey Brain, Barry Tuckwell, Alan Civil or a Hermann Baumann ... the foremost hornists in the world that equal the digits on one hand. Still, it's a most necessary instrument in the orchestra that has much music at its disposal over a long period of time.
The artists that appear on this disc, Kristina Mascher and Kerry Turner, are indeed virtuosos of the first rank and oddly, I have not known their work until now. This recital begins with Haydn's Concerto in E-flat, which has been attributed to Antonio Rosetti (1750-1792), whose work also appears on this CD. It seems to have been a common occurence in those days for lesser known composers to turn out works attributing them to the best-known composers. How would the average person know any differently? They didn't have computers to check things out, or couldn't fax pages, or pick up a phone to verify something. The Haydn work has constantly been controversial then, especially when one observes the similarity of styles between the actual Rosetti work and the alleged Haydn herein. Nevertheless it is a melodic and entirely agreeable piece to hear and has been said that if indeed, it is Rosetti's work, it would rank as his finest composition. The work is imbued with some truly virtuosic work for both horns, fast-paced runs - and the music has an infectious pulse about it. Sometimes the music is reminiscent of the music of Johann Nepomuk Hummel who came a bit later [1778-1837], but that's the way it struck me.
The Vivaldi Concerto No. 11 "L'Estro Armonica" has been transcribed from the original for two violins and cello to two horns by Zoltan Varga. Surprisingly, it works exeedingly well in the transcription and carries all the virtuosity—and then some—we know so well from Vivaldi's original. Suffice to say that in such a transcription, the horns actually have their work cut out for them even more than do the violins and cello in the original work. I must also say it's good to hear the harpsichord continuo part more focused, an instrument that usually gets lost against the strings because of its lightness of timbre.
The Rosetti concerto, like the Haydn, is in the traditional three movements with the first movement (hugely vitrtuosic) cadenza supplied by hornist Kerry Turner himself. For a composer who lived a brief life of 42 years, and whose work is not generally well known, it is encouraging to see that Rosetti's music is making somewhat of a comeback as evidenced by recordings of his oboe and clarinet concertos that appear on numerous labels. This is a bright and happy work, and like all the works on this disc, is impeccably performed, with outstanding support from the Sinfonia Cracovia under Dariusz Wisniewski's baton.
The final piece is Kerry Turner's own tone poem for two horns and strings, "Twas a Dark and Stormy Night," composed in 2006. The piece was originally for one horn with organ accompaniment, then it was arranged for two horns with piano until, according to Turner, it didn't find "a home" until the two horns were set against an accompaniment of strings, as it is in this compact disc. Kerry bases his work on the original piece by the same name and thus added another brief work of seven-plus minutes to the horn literature. The work takes us into twenty-first century writing and commences with an interesting echo effect between the horns. It is highly virtuosic and is eminently attractive with the kind of musical effect that you might compare to Mussorgsky's [i]Night on Bare Mountain[/]. I couldn't help thinking of Transylvania and the house of Dracula, with wolves chasing each other on a dark night! Personally, I cannot conceive this work being performed with organ or piano and I agree with the composer, it has found its home. I was also sorry to see the piece conclude.
The interesting thing about this disc is that both hornists—obviously with similar outstanding techniques and talents—vacillate as to which artist plays the first horn part. The booklet indicates who plays first horn in each of the movements of all pieces, something rather of nice to know, though both play with such virtuosity and enthusiasm that it doesn't really matter at all. Another point is that Kristina Mascher plays a Ricco Kühn triple horn whereas Kerry Turner plays a Paxman triple. The two instruments blend and are voiced perfectly.
The recording quality is outstanding with good balances between the soloists and orchestra with very natural acoustics. If you are fond of brass music, and especially the horn, this will be a recording you will want to add to your collection, but if you enjoy music from the time of Haydn, this will add substantially to your collection. The big news for me, however, is to make the discovery these two supreme artists of the French horn, Mascher and Turner.
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Lance G. Hill
Editor-in-Chief
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from The Horn Call, Vol.: XXXVII No.3, May 2007
Virtuoso Horn Duo. Kerry Turner and Kristina Mascher, horns
with Sinfonietta Cracovia. MSR Classics MS-1181. Timing 53:53.
Recorded April 2006 in Zgromadzenie Ojcow Zmartwychw-
stancow, Cracow, Poland.
Contents: Joseph Haydn: Concerto in E
b
for Two Horns and
Orchestra; Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto No. 11, “L’Estro Armon-
ico,” for Two Horns and Strings (trans. Varga);Antonio Rosetti:
Concerto No. 3, DTB 51; Kerry Turner: Twas a Dark and Stormy
Night (two horns and strings).
If you have not experienced some of the two-horn and or-
chestra repertoire, wait no longer. Turner and Mascher (mem-
ber of the Immanuel Trio of Amsterdam and the Ni Ensemble
of Luxembourg as well as frequent guest with orchestras in
Germany and the Benelux region) team up for three classics.
There is plenty of opportunity for high-horn and low-horn dis-
play, all performed exquisitely.
Varga’s transcription of the Vivaldi concerto is most con-
vincing for two horns; however, I wish they had enlisted a more
traditionally-sounding harpsichord for the continuo – its tinny
timbre was almost distracting in the opening passage. Some
beautiful lyricism is displayed by both hornists especially in
the circle-of-fifths tossing of melodic ideas back and forth.
I was not familiar with the Rosetti piece but am very glad
to have made its acquaintance. It matches the character and re-
quired technique of the Punto concerti made popular with
Tuckwell’s recordings years ago.Again, the balance and artistry
of both players is most effective here.
Abrupt, though, was the switch from its final Rondo to
Turner’s work of 2006. The composer’s words offered the set-
ting for this tuneful and adventurous work:
We had previously performed this piece re-
arranged (from solo horn and organ) for two horns and
piano at a recital in Rome.At that time, I knew that this
Gothic-sounding work had not yet found its true
home.Adding some new material and a few special ef-
fects and reworking it for string orchestra seemed to
be an answer to this call. The story behind the piece is
a simple one – there is a writers’ competition called the
Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, inspired by the paren-
thetical, rambling, melodramatic opening lines of a
novel; by the author of the same name. Contestants
submit a sentence intended to open a novel, usually
comic or satirical in nature, along the lines of the orig-
inal ‘It was a dark and stormy night…’ It just so hap-
pens that this is a wonderful way to start a musical
composition as well. I truly had no idea where I was
going with the work until I wrote the opening solo
horn call – my version of ‘Twas a dark and stormy
night….’
I think the listener might hear this as “film music” in spots,
with drama and lyricism for both the soloists and string en-
semble. JD
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from Pizzicato Magazine, No.173 - 5/2007
COR A COR VIRTUOSE
***** Duos virtuoses pour cor: Concertos de F.J. Haydn, A. Vivaldi, A. Rosetti; K. Turner: Twas a Dark and Stormy Night; Kristina Mascher, Kerry Turner, cors, Sinfonietta Cracovia, Dariusz Wisniewski; MSR Classics MS 1182; 04/06 (53'53)
Les cornistes Kristina Mascher et Kerry Turner joignent leurs forces pour présenter un magnifique enregistrement qui se révèle viruose à plusieurs niveaux: si les pièces interprétées exigent un niveau technique élévé, que dire de l'impressionnante cohésion des deux instrumentistes, que semble magnifier le pouvoir expressif et évocateur de la musique? Après trois Concertos bicentenaires en hommage à leur instrument soliste, le duo en verve clôt le CD par une composition de Kerry Turner, qui a également signé la cadence de Concerto d'Antonio Rosetti. Les instrumentistes abordent ces pages contemporaines aux accents résolument héroiques avec en enthousiasme contagieux, et l'ensemble de cordes, toujours très en retrait dans les Concertos, peut enfin savourer le dialogue enjoué avec les parties solistes. itb
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from: CD Hotlist: New Releases for Libraries
(http://cdhotlist.btol.com)
Title: Virtuoso Horn Duo
Label: MSR Classics (dist. Albany)
Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn; Antonio Rosetti; Antonio Vivaldi; Kerry Turner
Performer: Kerry Turner; Kristina Macher; Sinfonietta Cracovia / Darius Wisniewski
ISBN: 9786311155875
ISBN-10:
UPC: 00681585118122
Prod.#: BECDMSRCMS1181
Cat.#: MS 1181
Period: Classical; Modern
Genre: Classical
Release type: New
Comments: Two classical concertos and one baroque concerto for two horns are presented here along with a modern piece by one of the featured horn players, Kerry Turner. The Vivaldi work is actually a transcription of what had been a concerto for two violins, and there's some question as to the authenticity of the Haydn piece, but no matter -- the music is all quite wonderful, as is the playing by both Turner and Macher. Recommended to all classical collections. (RA)
