Vienna Horns

Vienna Horns
Orf Recordings: CD378
Total Playing Time: 53.17

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If a disc were needed to prove that 4barsrest will stop at nothing to explore every corner of the brass repertoire here it is! To be fair we didn't quite know what to expect of this recording from ORF, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, although it didn't take too many minutes with the disc in the player before we realised that there is some pretty special playing on offer here.

So why Vienna Horns as opposed to the more familiar French variety? Well…are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin!

In the large majority of orchestras worldwide the horn in common use is the double horn, pitched as you would expect in F. We are told that the Vienna Horn is a traditional Austrian instrument and is a pure F horn, meaning that the instrument possesses more, as well as more closely spaced, natural tones. Unlike the conventional rotary valves seen on the double horn, the Viennese variety possesses twin piston valves, resulting in a slower mechanical action but having the advantage of aiding a true legato sound.

The tubing also has a differing taper to the double horn thereby creating a distinctive sound that is unique to the Viennese instrument. But herein lays the "trade off". The horn is a notoriously difficult instrument to pitch, one of the advantages of the double horn being that the pipework allows greater airflow and consequently helps to avoid the risk of split notes. The narrower taper of the tubes on the Vienna horn puts greater pressure on the player's breath control as well as their ability to produce a clean note. So there you have it…you now know as much as we do!

It would appear that somewhat appropriately given its name, the Vienna Horn is used nowhere else in the world other than…you've guessed it, Vienna; or Austria to be strictly accurate. The players on this recording are drawn from several of the leading Austrian orchestras and receive the ringing endorsement within the booklet notes of none other than leading conductor Nicolas Harnoncourt, who whilst German born has spent most of his working musical life (and there may be just the inciest winciest bit of favouritism here) in Vienna.

Favouritism aside however the players deserve every credit for coming up with a programme of arrangements that combines the classical heritage of the instrument with a smattering of modern pieces including themes from a couple of well known film scores. It's all skilfully arranged by people who clearly know their horns.

It has to be said right away that the musicianship on display here is impressive. No split notes despite the alleged difficulties of the Viennese instrument and a sound that is as distinctive as promised. Indeed the sound of the horn choir in full flow is both magnificent and majestic.

The modern items will all be very familiar, the horns being bolstered by percussion in Michael Kamen's 'Robin Hood Prince of Thieves', James Horner's 'Titanic' and the stirring 'Olympic Fanfare and Theme' by John Williams. All of the arrangements make effective use of stereo imaging with some striking antiphonal effects. For sheer beauty and warmth of sound the "Titanic Fantasy" is hard to beat and it's worth paying particular attention to the solo statement of the theme at the outset which is exquisitely played and allied with superb balance later on as the music unfolds.

Despite the fact that Copland's 'Fanfare for the Common Man' was originally scored for a full orchestral brass section the twelve horns in Josef Reif's arrangement achieve a depth and homogeneity of sound that truly suits the sonorous nature of the music. Whilst fabulously played the 'Olympic Fanfare and Theme' is possible less effective overall but this is undoubtedly influenced by the fact that it is the slower music that captures the sound of these instruments at its most memorable and characteristic.

The classical side of the programme is drawn from the great Romantic, Austro-German tradition and is therefore staple diet to these players. The most substantial of the works by some margin is a complete transcription of Robert Schumann's Konzertstück. Originally scored for four horns and orchestra the solo parts remain pretty well intact whilst the scoring of the orchestral parts for eight accompanying horns is a model of musical reduction whilst still full of interest and effect.

Both Mendelssohn's 'Nocturne' (drawn from his incidental music to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream') and 'Abendsegen' (Evening Prayer) a song by Humperdinck that was later utilised as material for his opera 'Hansel and Gretel', explore to fine effect the sonorous, legato sounds of the instruments. In the Humperdinck the eight Vienna Horns are joined by four Wagner tubas giving an even warmer, Viennese chocolaty rich sonority to the blend; think of Howard Snell's arrangement of Richard Wagner in 'Elsa's Procession to the Minster' or Stephen Roberts' transcription of Richard Strauss in his 'Allerseelen' and you won't be too far away from the language of Humperdinck's music.

The music by Mahler (translated as "I am lost to the world") that ends the disc is not, as you might expect, drawn from one of the Symphonies but from his song cycle setting the poetry of Friedrich Rückert. The Mahler connection could hardly be ignored given that the composer spent his working life in Vienna and would have known at first hand the qualities of these instruments. This is Mahler at his most heartfelt, a deeply moving musical expression of his response to Rückert's words in which the arranger, Josef Reif, sets a solo Wagner tuba in B flat, over eight Vienna horns in a kind of reversal of the scoring in the Humperdinck.

On the face of it this is very much a recording for the specialist and we certainly can't deny its apparent quirkiness. What can't be dismissed however is the quality of the musicianship on display. If you are of an adventurous kind of musical disposition and relish something a little different we reckon that you may just find a lot to enjoy here.

Christopher Thomas

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