You don’t encounter this repertoire often on record, certainly not in concert, and happily we have here performances which rise to the occasion.
Schumann’s Konzertstück for Four Horns and Orchestra is a terrific piece, written with his maturity of style and experience writing for a large orchestra. There is a sense of celebration to the piece and to this performance, with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra joining the effort splendidly under their chief conductor, Sakari Oramo. The four soloists in this work also come from this ensemble.
The album continues with Maskuniitty as a single soloist, first with Schumann – an arrangement of his “Adagio and Allegro”, Op. 70, originally for horn and piano, but today often heard on other instruments. Here the orchestral arrangement is by the conductor Ernest Ansermet, assigning high melodies from the piano part to some of the woodwinds and first violins, turning the piece to a concerto-like affair while keeping some of its original intimacy. Maskuniitty brings much soulfulness to the Adagio, and sharp playfulness to the Allegro.
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Saint-Saëns’ “Morceau de concert”, Op. 94 is even less performed than the four-horns Schumann piece, and is part of this prolific composer’s 24 concertante output. Always the master orchestrator, Saint-Saëns gave the horn a unique role in this piece, moving from the hunt-calls of the first movement to the lyrical, deep lines this instrument is well known for in the romantic period, with a third movement thematically related to the first, with a more cheerful and technically demanding episodes (boy do these triplets sound difficult – 1:15 on track 8). This mini-concerto is a joy to listen to. Previous attempts by Peter Damm, Dresden Staatskapelle and Siegfried Kurz or Zdeněk Tylšar and the Czech Philharmonic under Václav Neumann are simply not in the same league. This new version also matches an excellent account by Hermann Baumann, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Kurt Masur from the late 1980s, where the dialogue with the orchestra was marvelous. Here the emphasis is more on the soloist, and his execution more exciting.
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) is the rather forgotten figure that closes off this album. His horn concerto from 1951, written in an old romantic style, is perhaps less memorable as a piece than the rest of the compositions on this album, yet Maskuniitty and the Stockholm Philharmonic are giving it a dedicated performance, and the soloist’s own cadenza is an interesting addition.
Recording quality is good and resonant, yet could be a little more detailed in some elements of the orchestra, which are sometimes blurred when long phrases are played by of the solo horn. All-in-all an interestingly programmed album with superb playing of soloists and orchestra, successfully shedding light on the instrument.
Schumann – Konzertstück für 4 Hörner und Orchester, Op. 86, Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70 (orch. by Ernest Ansermet)
Saint-Saëns – Morceau de concert, Op. 94
Glière – Horn Concerto, Op. 91
Markus Maskuniitty – Horn
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
Sakari Oramo – Conductor
Ondine Records, CD ODE 1339-2
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