Idyll
by Bob Rearden
National Symphony Orchestra hornist Robert Rearden has released his first solo recording, Idyll, available digitally on all streaming services as well as on CD. Rearden is joined on the album by friend and frequent collaborator Teddy Abrams, who not only accompanies Rearden but who composed a new piece for the project as well.
Rearden: In the great symphonic and operatic works of Brahms, Mahler, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky, some of the most beautiful passages are written for the horn. However, the solo horn repertoire by these great masters is limited to the concerti and a few incidental pieces by Strauss in addition to the trio by Brahms. It is my hope that this compilation—featuring other works by these composers, as well as a piece by violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler, and works by two of the most important artists of our time, hornist and composer Félix Dervaux and conductor, pianist, clarinetist, and composer Teddy Abrams—will highlight welcome additions to the horn’s lyrical repertoire.
The horn parts from the works of Kreisler, Mahler, and Brahms are played from the original scores. However, Yuriy Leonovich and Nathaniel Hepler have expertly created transcriptions of the works of Strauss and Tchaikovsky, respectively.
Richard Strauss’ works explore the dramatic range and colors of the horn. The Emperor’s Monologue from Die Frau ohne Schatten features an extended solo (originally for cello) leading to a beautiful, lyrical section and a thrilling finish. Morgen! exploits the singing quality of the horn’s mid-low register. In Hab’ mir’s gelobt from Der Rosenkavalier, Leonovich brilliantly melds the vocal trio and Strauss’ heroic horn writing.
I have enjoyed a long friendship and history of collaborations in many settings with Teddy Abrams who composed Out of the Woods? especially for this album. Abrams writes, “The work is a surrealist fantasia, moving between romantic-style melodies and impressionistic haze. The work conjures both a fairytale magical quality and a feeling of the maze-like uncertainty of our own very real times.”
I chose Kreisler’s Tempo di Menuetto (originally for violin), Mahler’s Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (originally for baritone), and Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile (originally for cello) because they sit well on the horn and highlight the instrument’s rich sound—and because these three pieces have been on my list of “things I want to play” for some time.
Written while Félix Dervaux was a student and intended to be part of a compendium of new works for young horn players, Idyll proved too difficult to be included and was filed away. Dervaux says, “I composed the piece over two days while my girlfriend (now wife) Sophie was out of town; the piece is reflective of my mood at the time—peaceful and happily longing for her return.”
Brahms finished his Cello Sonata no. 1 in 1865, the same year in which he completed his Horn Trio, and the two pieces received their premieres within one month of each other. Although Brahms specified on the original manuscript of the Trio that it could be played by a cello instead of the horn, the limitations of the horn of the time would not have allowed a similar alternate instrumentation for the Cello Sonata, but the modern horn certainly makes this possible. As befitting a cello sonata but unidiomatic to horn repertoire, rests are few and far between, and the piece spans the entire range of the instrument—a real tour de force!
The cover art on the album is from an oil painting by my late grandmother Evelyn Wells.
The recording is dedicated to the memory of my producer and friend Thomas C. Moore, who died in October 2021 from an aggressive brain tumor.
Idyll is now available on CD and on all streaming platforms with links here: https://robertrearden.hearnow.com
About the Artists
Robert Rearden joined the National Symphony Orchestra in 2016 after having served as principal horn of the Florida Orchestra for six years and the New World Symphony for four. He has appeared regularly with the Cleveland Orchestra and as guest principal for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Rearden received his undergraduate degree at the University of South Carolina, his master’s degree and Artist Diploma at The Cleveland Institute of Music, and he was a fellow at both the Tanglewood and Aspen Music festivals. Rearden has performed with the Mainly Mozart, Britt, Artosphere, Steamboat Springs, Spoleto USA, and Eastern music festivals. He can be heard performing on recordings by the National Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Florida Orchestra.
A versatile musician, Teddy Abrams is the widely acclaimed music director of the Louisville Orchestra. Here, he has led the world premieres of his own piano concerto as well as of numerous interdisciplinary projects, including his rap-opera, The Greatest: Muhammed Ali. In recognition of his groundbreaking work, Abrams was named Musical America’s Conductor of the Year for 2022. In addition, Abrams serves as music director and conductor of the Britt Festival Orchestra, and he has guest-conducted many of the country’s most prominent orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago, San Francisco, National, Houston, and Milwaukee symphonies. He has also served as conducting fellow and assistant conductor of the New World Symphony.
Underrepresented Composers
by Caiti Beth McKinney
Hello everyone! My name is Caiti Beth McKinney, and it is my honor to share a new resource with you all—REPresent: Repertoire for Horn by Underrepresented Composers. Focused entirely on showcasing works by historically underrepresented composers such as women and people of color, this catalogue includes solo works in addition to chamber music for brass and wind quintets, violin trios, horn ensembles, and everything in between. There are hundreds of pieces of wonderful music you may or may not have heard before, with links to composers’ websites, recordings, and places to purchase (where available).
My passion for promoting diverse musical voices began as a slow burn. In the 2017-2018 school year, I was planning my first required doctoral recital when I realized I had never performed a piece of music for solo horn composed by a woman. Instead, my undergraduate and master’s recitals had been filled with standard works (the Strauss concertos, etc.). I began researching online and stumbled upon Lin Foulk Baird’s website of Works for Horn by Female Composers, which is an incredible resource! However, I came to the realization that, at the time, there was nowhere to easily find pieces by diverse composers, so I decided to begin my own project, purely for my own reference.
I began a spreadsheet to keep track of all the pieces I was coming across, including information such as the length of the work, instrumentation, links to recordings and vendors, and any other details I thought were important. To find new (to me) compositions, I used a mix of formal and informal resources; for example, I would scroll through Spotify playlists such as “1200 Years of Woman Composers,” looking up every name and checking for compositions that included the horn. I also scoured print anthologies in my school’s library and searched name-by-name in websites such as the American Composers Alliance.
As the file grew and I shared it with studio-mates and other colleagues, word began to spread. I began receiving requests for help programming recitals from complete strangers looking to expand their repertoire, and a very dear friend of mine informed me that it was absolutely time to publish my work online; so, in 2021, REPresent: Repertoire for Horn by Underrepresented Composers was born.
I continue to update the catalogue as I learn of more composers and pieces of music and am always looking for leads and suggestions. If any readers know of any works I have missed, please feel free to reach out through the CONTACT link on my website. My work is not meant to be a destination; I hope that this tool will serve only as a starting point for performers, educators, and listeners who are interested in uplifting musical voices who deserve to be heard.
Dr. McKinney resides in South Florida where she regularly performs anything from symphonic works to jazz to new music. She is a sought-after teacher in the area as well.
Pedagogy - Daniel Grabois
My name is Daniel Grabois, and I am the new editor of the Pedagogy Column for Horn and More. I would like to congratulate Ab Koster on his six years of service providing this column. These are big shoes to fill!
I have been teaching horn for 33 years, in addition to performing. I am now the horn professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I began teaching in 2011 upon the retirement of Douglas Hill (more big shoes!). Before teaching at UW, I spent many years teaching at The Hartt School and at Princeton University, and I chaired the Contemporary Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music as well.
As a performer, I’ve been a member of the Meridian Arts Ensemble (brass quintet) since 1989. I was also an active freelancer in New York City from 1989 to 2011, playing chamber music, orchestra, ballet, opera, new music, Broadway shows, jazz, rock....
As a freelancer, every day is different: different music, different colleagues, different conductors, different situations. The common element is that you sit down and play the music that is put in front of you—and that can mean sight reading on the job.
What I have discovered in my teaching (and through my own self-study) is that we need to sight read music very differently from how we read written words (and most people can “sight read” a passage in a book without needing to explain that “I’m just sight reading here—I might make a mistake”). When we first learn to read, our eyes move from letter to letter, sounding out the words (although I’m sure children learning to read character-based languages like Chinese undergo a somewhat different process). Once we’re well into elementary school, though, our eyes pick up entire words, or even groups of words, all at once.
If we try to sight read music this way, we often fail. Our eyes may take in a group of, say, eight 16th notes—after all, they are beamed together in groups of 4, so they really look like chunks of notes rather than lots of individual notes. But if we are hoping to play all of those 16th notes correctly, we actually need to notice, to see, what the pitches are. This more closely resembles the letter-by-letter approach we used when learning to read than the “chunking” approach we end up with.
When I am sight reading and I mess up, most of the time I realize that I didn’t actually know what note to play, and that is because I didn’t see which note I was supposed to play. As I get older, my eyes take in even bigger chunks of material unless I discipline myself to notice and see each pitch.
We are often taught that in reading music, we must look ahead. True enough—it’s always good to be prepared for the next thing. But we also must know what to play NOW, and then we must play that thing NOW. It is a very in-the-moment experience.
It is also an experience that can be practiced. Take a piece of music you don’t know, or don’t know well. Insist that your eyes track along with what you are playing. Try to see the pitches, the note values, and even the articulation marks and dynamics. Note when your eye stops seeing what it needs to see. Your level of concentration should deepen.
If you get to a place in the music where you become confused and need to stop, ask yourself if that happened because of a playing issue or a seeing issue. Over time, you can train your eyes to see better and to take in more information.
Finally, if you notice that the next eight 16th notes form an E major scale, great! Let your eyes peek ahead while you play the scale, but then start tracking again—return to the present moment.
Please let me know if this method works for you and if you are able to improve your sight reading. dgrabois@wisc.edu
Uma estreia mundial do Sul
por Jorge Montoya e Gabriella Ibarra
-Concerto para Trompa e Orquestra Op. 37 do maestro Eduardo Alonso Crespo-
Em memória do lendário Myron Bloom, o maestro argentino Eduardo Crespo compôs este concerto para Scott Bohannon, trompista principal da orquestra sinfônica de Entre Ríos (OSER) e que foi aluno e amigo do profeasor, Bloom. Como homenagem, o compositor refletiu neste belo concerto quaisquer que fossem as memórias vivas de Bohannon com seu professor, Bloom.
O trabalho surgiu em 2019 como uma comissão para o OSER. Durante o processo de composição morre o mestre Myron Bloom, para o qual o segundo movimento é uma elegia à sua memória, assim como, Anton Bruckner, fez com sua sétima sinfonia dedicando seu segundo movimento à memória de Richard Wagner.
A obra foi estruturada nos três movimentos tradicionais de um concerto, onde o compositor trabalhou em estreita colaboração com, Bohannon, na definição do caráter de cada um deles. O primeiro andamento resgata o caráter heroico que associamos a grande parte do repertório sinfônico para trompa. O primeiro movimento explora assim os traços épicos habitualmente associados a este instrumento e assim, após uma breve introdução ao material de base, o movimento lança-se no desenvolvimento de uma marcha destemida de carácter heróico em que o solista avança pelas múltiplas vicissitudes que vão surgindo ao longo do caminho, interagindo de forma fluida com a orquestra.
Para o segundo movimento em particular, Scott quis homenagear seu professor, daí o segundo movimento é uma elegia, um poema sem palavras em memória de, Myron Bloom, o lendário trompista americano que morreu em 2019 e que provavelmente foi o expoente mais famoso da história recente do instrumento como solista com a Orquestra de Cleveland sob a regência de, George Szell e a Orquestra de Paris sob a regência de, Daniel Baremboim.
Essa elegia segue o arco dramático usualmente associado ao réquiem, ou seja, a sequência de tristeza, repreensão contra o destino e eventual consolação que compõem as diferentes fases do luto.
Por fim, o terceiro movimento em forma de rondó restitui a atmosfera vital, desta vez com um ritmo de dança em tempo triplo, característica dos concertos múltiplos para trompa, de Mozart a Strauss. Em certo sentido, é a recuperação da ancestral associação da trompa com a caça a cavalo., daí vem o ritmo ternário que está associado ao galope eqüino, só que neste caso é uma cavalgada crioula. Assim, o solista galopa por temas intrincados com forte cunho americano e virtuosismo exigente para procurar concluir o concerto com assertividade luminosa.
Diante de uma experiência tão criativa carregada por sua vez de tanta emoção, o compositor foi questionado:
“Você pretende escrever um segundo concerto para trompa no futuro?”
Ao que o Maestro Crespo respondeu:
“A trompa é um instrumento que me fascina, tanto como membro da orquestra em obras sinfónicas, como solista em concertos. É um instrumento insubstituível que mistura aspectos emocionais muito variados e contrastantes, desde o apelo épico à intimidade mais profunda. Eu acho que qualquer compositor que se preze se sentirá muito atraído pelo instrumento, então é muito provável que um segundo concerto esteja se formando no meu horizonte. Além disso, minha experiência com Scott Bohannon foi extremamente enriquecedora para mim, pois ele é um trompista excepcional , do mais alto nível, que me inspira a continuar compondo para o instrumento.”
A estreia mundial foi realizada em 19 de março deste ano no Teatro “Tres de Febrero” no Paraná, Argentina.
Para mais informações sobre o Maestro Crespo e sua obra, convidamos você a visitar seu site: https://www.eduardoalonsocrespo.net
Obrigado a Jorge Montoya e Israel Oliveira por sua colaboração nesta nova edição do News from Latin America.
To the International Horn Society Membership
Greetings from sunny South Texas!
It is with great pride that we have the opportunity to host the 54th International Horn Symposium here at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Hosting this event is a great honor for our University and the School of Music and it reflects the hard work and dedication of our music students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It is a very exciting time at Texas A&M-Kingsville as we have recently moved into our new state-of-the-art music facility. We hope that you will find our facilities accommodating and supportive of the many concerts, recitals, masterclasses, workshops, clinics, and exhibits featured during the IHS54 Conference.
Our sincere hope is that while you are visiting us in South Texas, you will feel the warmth of our people as well as the warmth of our semi-tropical climate. We are located in an area of Texas that is rich in culture and we hope that all of you will enjoy your visit with us! We are very proud of our horn professor, Dr. Jennifer Sholtis, for her leadership and organizational skills in putting together this wonderful conference. We will be offering numerous activities including professional, musical, cultural and social events.
So, as we say in Texas, "Y'all come!" We would love to see you here at IHS54 in August!
Sincerely,
Paul Hageman, Director
School of Music
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
A World Premiere from the South
by Jorge Montoya and Gabriella Ibarra
-Concerto for Horn and Orchestra, Op. 37, by Eduardo Alonso Crespo-
In memory of the legendary Myron Bloom, Argentine composer Eduardo Crespo has written his concerto Op. 37 for Scott Bohannon, principal hornist of the Entre Ríos Symphony Orchestra and former student and friend of Maestro Bloom. As a tribute, the composer has captured in this beautiful concerto some of Bohannon's memories of his teacher.
The work emerged in 2019 as a commission by the ERSO. During the composition process, Professor Bloom died, so the second movement is an elegy to his memory—just as Anton Bruckner did with his seventh symphony, dedicating its second movement to the memory of Richard Wagner.
The form of the work is the traditional three movements of a concerto, in which the composer worked closely with Bohannon in defining the character of each of them. The first movement recalls the heroic character that we associate with much of the symphonic repertoire for horn. It explores the epic traits usually associated with this instrument, and so, after a brief introduction to the thematic material, the movement launches into the development of a fearless heroic march as the soloist advances through the multiple variations along the way, interacting fluidly with the orchestra.
For the second movement in particular, Scott wanted to pay tribute to his teacher, therefore the second movement is an elegy, a wordless poem in memory of Myron Bloom, the legendary American horn player who died in 2019 and who was probably the most famous proponent of the recent history of the instrument as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell and the Paris Orchestra under Daniel Baremboim. This elegy follows the dramatic succession usually associated with the requiem, that is, the sequence of sadness, reproach against fate, and eventual consolation which make up the different stages of mourning.
Finally, the third movement, in the form of a rondo, a typical feature of many horn concertos from Mozart to Strauss, restores the livelier atmosphere, this time with a dance in simple triple meter. In some way, it is a remaking of the historical association of the horn with hunting on horseback. The ternary rhythm associated with the equine gallop is, in this case, a Creole cavalcade. The soloist “gallops” through intricate themes with strong American associations which demand virtuosity to conclude the concert with a bright assertiveness.
Having experienced such a creative process filled with emotion, the composer was asked:
“Do you plan to write a second concerto for horn in the future?”
To this, Crespo replied:
“The horn is an instrument which fascinates me, both as a member of the orchestra in symphonic works and as a soloist in concert. It is an irreplaceable instrument that mixes varied and contrasting emotional aspects, from the epic call to the deepest intimacy. I think that any self-respecting composer would feel very attracted to the instrument, so it is likely that a second concerto is brewing on my horizon. In addition, my experience with Scott Bohannon was extremely enriching for me, since he is an exceptional hornist of the highest level who inspires me to continue composing for the instrument.”
The world premiere was held on March 19 of the current year at the “Tres de Febrero” Theater-Paraná, Argentina.
For more information about Maestro Crespo and his work, we invite you to visit his website: https://www.eduardoalonsocrespo.net
Thanks to Jorge Montoya for the collaboration for this new edition of the News from Latin America.
Un estreno mundial desde el Sur
In English
por Jorge Montoya y Gabriella Ibarra
-Concierto para Corno y orquesta Op. 37 del maestro Eduardo Alonso Crespo-
En memoria del legendario Myron Bloom, el maestro argentino Eduardo Crespo ha compuesto este concierto para Scott Bohannon, cornista principal de la Orquesta Sinfónica de Entre Ríos y quien fuera alumno y amigo del maestro Bloom. Como homenaje el compositor plasmó en este hermoso concierto lo que fueran los recuerdos vividos de Bohannon junto a su maestro Bloom.
La obra surge en 2019 como un encargo para la OSER. Durante el proceso de composición el maestro Myron Bloom fallece, por lo cual el segundo movimiento es una elegía a su memoria, al igual que lo hizo Anton Bruckner con su séptima sinfonía dedicando su segundo movimiento a la memoria de Richard Wagner.
La obra se estructuró en los tres movimientos tradicionales de un concierto, donde el compositor trabajó estrechamente con Bohannon en la definición del carácter de cada uno de ellos. El primer movimiento rescata el carácter heroico que asociamos con buena parte del repertorio sinfónico para corno. Por lo tanto, el primer movimiento explora los rasgos épicos habitualmente asociados a este instrumento y así, luego de una breve presentación del material básico, el movimiento se lanza al desarrollo de una intrépida marcha de carácter heroico en la que el solista avanza a través de las múltiples vicisitudes que se presentan en el camino, interactuando fluidamente con la orquesta.
Para el segundo movimiento en particular, Scott quería rendir homenaje a su maestro, de allí que el segundo movimiento sea una elegía, un poema sin palabras in memoriam de Myron Bloom, el legendario cornista estadounidense fallecido en 2019 y quien fue probablemente el más famoso exponente de la historia reciente del instrumento como solista de la Orquesta de Cleveland bajo George Szell y de la Orquesta de París bajo Daniel Baremboim. Esta elegía sigue el arco dramático habitualmente asociado al réquiem, es decir la secuencia de tristeza, increpación contra el destino y eventual consuelo que conforman los distintos estadios del duelo.
Finalmente, el tercer movimiento en forma de rondó, restablece la atmósfera vital, esta vez con ritmo de danza en tiempo ternario, un rasgo típico de múltiples conciertos para corno, desde Mozart a Strauss. En cierto sentido es la recuperación de la asociación ancestral del corno con la caza a caballo. De allí el ritmo ternario que se asocia al galope equino, sólo que en este caso se trata de una cabalgata criolla. Así el solista va galopando a través de intrincados temas de fuerte impronta americana y exigente virtuosismo para buscar concluir el concierto con luminosa asertividad.
Ante tal experiencia creativa cargada a su vez de tanta emotividad, se le preguntó al compositor:
“¿Tiene pensado futuramente escribir un segundo concierto para corno?”
A lo que el maestro Crespo respondió:
“El corno es un instrumento que me fascina, tanto como miembro de la orquesta en obras sinfónicas y como solista en conciertos. Es un instrumento irreemplazable que mezcla aspectos emocionales muy variados y contrastantes, desde el llamado épico hasta la más profunda intimidad. Creo que todo compositor que se precie se sentirá muy atraído por el instrumento, de modo que es muy probable que algún segundo concierto esté gestándose en mi horizonte. Además, mi experiencia con Scott Bohannon fue extremadamente enriquecedora para mí, ya que se trata de un cornista excepcional, de primerísimo nivel, que inspira a seguir componiendo para el instrumento.”
El estreno mundial fue celebrado el 19 de marzo del año en curso en el Teatro “Tres de Febrero”-Paraná, Argentina.
Para mayor información acerca del maestro Crespo y su obra les invitamos a visitar su página web: https://www.eduardoalonsocrespo.net
Gracias a Jorge Montoya e Israel Oliveira por la colaboración para esta nueva edición de las Noticias desde Latinoamérica.
