Sounding the horn for Schumann masterpieces
Roger Nichols is impressed by the performances in this collection of works for brass and orchestra Glière • Saint-saëns • R Schumann
R Schumann: Konzertstück for Four Horns; Adagio and Allegro in A flat; Saint-saëns: Morceau de concert in F minor; Glière: Horn Concerto
Markus Maskuniitty, Martin Schöpfer, Kristofer Öberg, Monica Berenguer Caro (horn); Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/sakari Oramo Ondine ODE 1339-2 59:08 mins Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) is not exactly a name to conjure with these days and his Horn Concerto explains why. According to one dictionary entry ‘his German Romantic and Russian nationalist orientation agreed with official Soviet policies on music.’ To be more specific, the Concerto, although composed in 1951, sounds a bit like Tchaikovsky but without the wonderful tunes. It’s harmless stuff, with rather too many predictable sequences, even if Markus Maskuniitty enlivens it with a more up-todate cadenza.
The Saint-saëns Morceau de Concert shows that composer doing simple things with his usual mastery, the central Adagio generating real emotion in the soloist’s expert hands. But the real winner on the disc is Schumann. In 1849 (‘my most fruitful year’, as he called it) he wrote firstly the Adagio and Allegro for horn and piano (here in its orchestration by Ansermet). Rightly taking this fine piece as encouragement towards more horn work, he then composed the Konzertstück for four horns and orchestra, one of his outright masterpieces, though for years declared unplayable, and for obvious practical reasons rarely heard even after this was proved to be untrue. In three movements and lasting over 17 minutes, it’s really a concerto.
The playing of Maskuniitty and his three colleagues is simply superb, with exemplary balance between them, and any number of thrilling arpeggio swoops in the last movement where we find Schumann arrayed in lederhosen. The recording privileges the soloists throughout, but not unduly.
PERFORMANCE ★★★★★
RECORDING ★★★★
Hear extracts from this recording and the rest of this month’s choices on the BBC Music Magazine website at www.classical-music.com
Maskuniitty and his three colleagues are simply superb