I'm sending this to both lists even though it appeared originally on Memphis. Thanks to Peter Hirsch for the "heads up" on this group. They are performing at UNH next Monday at 8 PM. One of the guest natural horn players from Germany, Jean-Sebastien Salm, is a KBHC alum from 2001. He is an excellent player with valves, so I assume he is even better without them! Anyway, I'm looking forward to the concert. Here is the link to the UNH Celebrity Series for details and ticket info: _http://www.unh.edu/celebrity/_ (http://www.unh.edu/celebrity/) Hope to see you there! Kendall Betts >From the NY Times: November 5, 2005 Classical Music Review | Rebel
Celebrating the Horn in Its 'Natural' State By _BERNARD HOLLAND_ (http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=BERNARD HOLLAND&fdq=19960101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=BERNARD HOLLAND&inline=nyt-per) The immediate ancestors of the modern horn served as a kind of telegraphy, sending signals between hunting parties on horseback separated in the enthusiasms of the chase. Late in the 17th century, a certain Franz Anton von Sporck, whose love of killing animals equaled his love of music, influenced the transition of this practical instrument into one beautiful for its own sake. A generation later, composers found a permanent place for the horn in orchestras large and small. Two of these composers were Telemann and Bach, the subjects of Rebel's period-instrument program at Miller Theater on Wednesday. Two young Germans, Wilhelm Bruns and Jean-Sébastien Salm, with their so-called natural horns in hand, were visitors. By the early 1800's, the horn had grown a set of valves enabling it to play just about any note you chose. "Natural" refers to a previous instrument confined by nature's laws of sound and alterable only by movement of the lips or by putting your fist in the bell opening. Even in its current relatively convenient state, the horn is a treacherous beast. Accidents and cracked tones tend to arrive as unexpected natural disasters, and concert listeners should not judge them too harshly. The valveless, natural horn is an even more terrifying prospect for modern performers. It, the high-Baroque trumpets made famous by Bach, and the feats demanded by both in 18th-century repertory make you wonder whether little men from outer space - with lips of gold, lungs of iron and nerves of steel - had landed among the Baroque orchestras of the day. Mr. Bruns and Mr. Salm did very well in difficult music; utter smoothness of execution was neither expected nor achieved. Telemann's F major Overture-Suite captured the outdoor nature of paired horns vividly. More familiar was Bach's first "Brandenburg" Concerto, also in F (the key natural to horns). Telemann was all pleasure, the Bach a grittier, tougher piece. It was also interesting to hear a Sinfonia in G: Bach borrowing from himself and spicing the string sound of the third "Brandenburg" with horns and winds. Rebel has become a flickering star in New York City's underperforming early-music world. Especially helpful among its members were Jörg-Michael Schwarz, violinist and general overseer on Wednesday; Dongsok Shin, a virtuoso harpsichordist in Bach's D major "Brandenburg"; Debra Nagy, a busy and fluent oboist; and Matthias Maute, transverse flutist and violist. _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
