by Ian Zook
Volume 1 – Ádám Friedrich
Welcome to a brand new and ongoing series of articles dedicated to re-discovering and preserving recordings from a bygone era.
For each installment of Horn on Record, we will examine a recording which has existed only on vinyl record and which has not yet been commercially digitized. For each featured album, a retrospective of the artist and album contents will be provided along with comments about historic style and influence—and there will be audio excerpts!
Our first album, produced by Hungaroton in 1973, comes from Ádám Friedrich, and it features a program of standard repertoire: Brahms’ Trio, Op. 40, Schumann’s Adagio & Allegro, and Dukas’ Villanelle, alongside a less-frequently performed work, Duvernoy’s Trio No. 1 for violin, horn, and piano. The collaborating musicians are pianist Sándor Falvai and violinist Miklós Szenthelyi.
Ádám Friedrich (1937-2019) was a Hungarian hornist who grew up in Hajdúböszörmény where his mother was a music teacher. From 1951-1956, he studied at the Miskolc Conservatory. He then entered the Academy of Music in Budapest, where he was a student of Ferenc Romagnoli and Zoltán Lubik.
He joined the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra in 1960 and served as a first horn from 1966-1991. A founding member of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Friedrich also performed throughout his career with the Ferenc Liszt Chamber Orchestra and the Hungarian Chamber Orchestra.
Friedrich held numerous teaching positions as well. He began teaching at the Béla Bartók Conservatory in 1973, and then from 1983-1997 at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music. Between 1994-2002, he was an associate professor at the Béla Bartók Institute of Music at the University of Miskolc.
In 1994, Ádám Friedrich was elected vice-president of the International Horn Society, and the following year, he organized the 1st Hungarian International Horn Festival.
Listening to Ádám Friedrich’s recordings, we can tie the artistry of his interpretations to many of the qualities that make his playing so unique: a vocal and shimmering arc to the phrasing, a compact and precisely crafted tone, and an absolute tidiness in articulation.
Concerning tone color in particular, we can hear that much of the playing is on the Bb horn, with a fair amount of use of the high F horn too. The range of tone colors that Friedrich is able to explore on these shorter tube lengths is illuminating, and it demonstrates that his authentic and graceful sensibilities are only heightened by these choices.
In Dukas’ Villanelle, we will listen as Friedrich floats through the opening espressivo melody:
Later, in the section marked en echo, we hear the ghostly muted effect effortlessly and subtly meld into the ouvert pianissimo:
This recording of Villanelle ends with a jaunty tempo, propelled by Friedrich’s sparkling single-tongue articulations:
The Duvernoy Trio No. 1 in C major only has two movements. As we listen to the opening of the piece, notice the intensity of sound created by the rhythmic and melodic unisons of the performers. This tension gives way to a beautifully spun main theme in the horn. Both Friedrich’s lyrical phrasing and velvety articulations bring this music to life:
Our last excerpt comes from the allegro. Duvernoy’s breezy melodies and idiomatic horn writing further showcase Ádám Friedrich’s nimble style and his blend with the piano’s rhythmic pulsation:
I hope you enjoyed our first installment of Horn on Record! If you would like this vinyl album for yourself, they are available at Discogs. Also, you have the opportunity to help guide the content of this column! Follow this blog link to vote on more upcoming vinyl reviews!
