It's Not British but...Musique lyrique pour cor et piano

This exploration of French and Belgian horn and piano music opens with Eugène Bozza’s Sur les Cimes (1960). Bearing in mind the date of this piece, there is nothing here of the mid-20^th century French avant-garde. Perhaps Ravel and composers such as Dutilleux and Jolivet are called to mind. This is one of those works that appeals to me only in parts: there are moments of extreme beauty, and I must confess, times when I feel that Bozza has switched off. Here and there a touch too much of the hunting horn pervades this music. The liner notes suggest that this “can be thought of as a virtuosos Alpine Symphony…a climb through the beauty of nature and thunderstorms towards the peaks (cimes).”

Camille Saint-Saëns’s Romance in E major, op.67 was completed in 1866, but not released until 1885, It was written for horn player Henri Garigue. The Romance in F major, op.36, dating from 1874 was dedicated to Henri Chaussier. Both were scored for the natural horn. Despite the undoubted virtuosity of these legendary French instrumentalists, the two works are not full of technical wizardry. In fact, they are songs without words, and are designed to entertain rather than impress.

Paul Dukas is recalled for one work only: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. That said, the cognoscenti will revel in his opera Ariane et Barbe-bleue, the charming and colourful Symphony in C and the accomplished Piano Sonata in E flat minor. Although I have not heard Dukas’s Villanelle for horn and piano before, I understand that it is popular with soloists and audiences alike. It was originally composed in 1906 as a test piece for the Paris Conservatoire. This was the final year when horn players had to prove their mettle on both natural and valve instruments. Dukas demands that the opening section along with its recapitulation is played “without valves.” I am not sure if he meant that two different instruments were to be used.

I could find little information about Henri Büsser’s Cantecor. This was seemingly a test piece devised for the Conservatoire. It was less than successful, with contestants making it appear more difficult than it was, and they often failed to find the poetry or the lyrical nature of the music. (John Humphries, Liner Notes, MPR 112, From Dennis Brain’s Library). There are no performance problems on this CD. Both soloists present this as a seductive duet, that captures the imagination. There is nothing pedantic here.

The Spanish composer Blai Maria Colomer, wrote his Fantasie-Légende in 1904. It explores a variety of problems of horn articulation, as well as majoring on dreamlike lyricism. This is a complex work that clearly demands an extremely elevated level of engagement by both performers.

Composer, teacher, and musicologist, Charles Koechlin was a pupil of Gabriel Fauré, a friend to Maurice Ravel and teacher of Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc. As such, he was a major figure striding over much 20^th century French musical endeavour: he was a much loved and venerated figure. Various emotions are explored in his Horn Sonata, op.70, written intermittently, between 1918 and 1925: from impressionistic forest murmurs to the huntsman’s chase and supposedly echoes of the sea in the finale. It is melodically curious and harmonically vibrant from end to end. The Sonata is given a satisfying performance here.

Equally important is the Sonata, op.7 by the Belgian composer, Jane Vignery. It was finished in 1942. Despite certain nods towards impressionism in the opening movement and Francis Poulenc in the finale, this is a wholly original composition. The slow movement is a well stated, if somewhat melancholy song in three parts. The finale is a light-hearted rondo, with various amusing turns of phrase. The piano is an equal partner throughout, with an exceedingly multifaceted and involved contribution.

The liner notes give a basic introduction to this music. To be sure, there is a brief essay on the two rival systems of horn intonation – natural and valve. Details of the performers are included. The commentary on each piece is minimal. Finally, no date of the recording is given.

The performances here have a tremendous amount to recommend them, and this is supported by an excellent recording. My suggestion is to explore this CD slowly. Too much horn tone may become a little wearing, to any but the most enthusiastic. This is a rewarding discovery of a variety of interesting works, which should be in the repertoire of all horn players.

Tracklisting:
Eugène Bozza (1905-91)
Sur les Cimes (1960)
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Romance in E major, op.67 (1866)
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
Villanelle (1906)
Camille Saint-Saëns
Romance in F major, op.36 (1874)
Jane Vignery (1913-74)
Sonata, op.7 (1942)
Blai Maria Colomer (1840-1917)
Fantasie-Légende (1904)
Paul Henri Büsser (1872-1973)
Cantecor (1926)
Charles Koechlin (1867-1950)
Horn Sonata, op.70 (1918-25)
Claudio Flückiger (horn and natural horn), Galya Kolarova (piano)
rec.? Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen
DANACORD DACOCD 909