by Ian Zook

Volume 6—James Stagliano

This month’s Horn on Record will focus on a collection of short Russian and French pieces for horn and piano by seminal American hornist James Stagliano with Paul Ulanowsky as pianist.

This album is fascinating for both the exquisite performances and presentation of obscure gems in the repertoire, and also for the unique marketing strategy of having this album released by Pfizer Pharmaceutical Laboratories as part of their Sinequan (doxepin HCl) Collector’s Series.

Released in 1971, Stagliano’s French Horn Masterpieces was one of eleven recordings comprising The Sinequan Collector’s Series. Moreover, Stagliano was well-represented in this catalog since the series also includes his recording of the complete Mozart concerti with the Zimbler Sinfonietta, as well as the Dvořák Serenade op. 44, the Strauss Serenade op. 7, and the Thuille Sextet op. 6, all with the Boston Woodwind Quintet and Boston Wind Ensemble.

A sidebar on the gatefold album jacket outlines the medical usage of Sinequan, a name brand for doxepin hydrochloride that was a capsule available in dosages from 10 to 50 mg. It was advertised to help “relieve excessive and frequently immobilizing psychoneurotic anxiety and depression” and that it “may produce a response where other antidepressant and antianxiety agents have failed.” Are we to assume that the fine chemists and marketers at Pfizer Laboratories found the sound of the horn a soothing sonic balm for their Sinequan patients?

James Stagliano (1912-1987) was born in Italy and emigrated to the United States in 1920. His uncle, Albert J. Stagliano, was a hornist in the staff orchestra of the Detroit radio station WWJ in the early 1920s. Albert later went on to hold the positions of principal horn in the Detroit Symphony (1929-1936), the Cleveland Orchestra (1936-1937), and as a member of the NBC Symphony under Toscanini until the end of his career. Needless to say, Albert provided much guidance and tutelage for James, who himself first played as an extra musician with the Detroit Symphony at age 16. James then joined the Detroit Symphony as assistant principal horn, performing alongside his uncle during the 1930-1931 concert season.

James Stagliano’s musical career flourished. He held appointments with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (1934-1936), the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1936-1937), as a Hollywood studio player in the early 1940’s, with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1944, and, as his final destination, joining the Boston Symphony as co-principal horn alongside Willem Valkenier in 1946. When Valkenier retired in 1950, Stagliano assumed the principal chair through 1973. Altogether, he served as principal or co-principal of the Boston Symphony for twenty-seven years.

In addition to his storied orchestral career, Stagliano was active in recording with the orchestras of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Twentieth Century-Fox, Universal, Warner Brothers, United Artists, and Walt Disney motion-picture studios. As such, he played on numerous films, including Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and Fantasia. Additionally, he also gave the American radio premiere of the second Concerto by Richard Strauss at Tanglewood in 1949, the work having already been performed in 1948 by Anthony Miranda and the Little Orchestra of New York (both well after Gottfried von Freiburg’s premiere with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1943).

While this album does feature a few cornerstone repertoire choices with Dukas’ Villanelle, Poulenc’s Elegie, and Gliere’s Nocturne, this review will focus on the shorter and more obscure gems that are all truly wonderful pieces in their own right.

Feodor Akimenko, a Ukrainian composer noted as Stravinksy’s first composition teacher, gives the horn a treasure in his Melody. Stagliano presents this anthemic opening statement with a committed build to the soaring high points. Ample relaxation and elision of the notes allows the phrases to finish beautifully.

Stagliano presents another gorgeous morsel with Russian composer Alexander Gretchaninov’s Lullaby. The use of silky, softly-lifted portamento throughout this melody lends a sense of tenderness and compassion.

An arrangement of Faure’s Après un rêve showcases Stagliano’s well-known and delicate high range. The sonic activity of the high harmonics in his sound keeps the tone rich and complex, while his velvety articulation shapes lines without any hinderance.

Our last example comes from the French composer Émile Vuillermoz. While the title listed on the album jacket is simply Etude, this piece more specifically comes from the compilation arranged for horn by Edward Vuillermoz entitled Dix Pièces Mélodiques (published by Alphonse Leduc). Stagliano plays the featured stormy middle section with fleet dexterity, allowing the churning piano part to drive the tempo. As the opening melody returns, Stagliano’s smooth tone and sense of line once again impart a sense of space and timelessness. Enjoy this elegant performance of a forgotten piece.

While we cannot offer any Sinequan to our readers, we hope that this foray into the performances of James Stagliano has been a cure for any nagging earworms! Thank you for reading, and as always, please visit us at Horn on Record.

친애하는여러분께,

저는 개인적으로 사계절 중 가을을 선호하지만, 봄은 매우 감사한 삶의 갱신을 가져다 줍니다. 하지만 사실 지구의 절반은 가을입니다. 북반구 전역에서는 봄과 함께 다양한 축제가 열립니다. 중국에서는 4월 5일 청명절에 묘지를 청소하는 의식으로 조상을 기립니다. 말레이시아, 스리랑카, 싱가포르 및 인도의 일부 지역에서는 4월 14일에 타밀의 새해인 푸탄두를 기념합니다. 한편 남반구에서는 호주와 뉴질랜드에 있는 우리 친구들이 4월 25일 Anzac Day에 군 복무를 하는 남녀들을 기억합니다. 미국에서는 4월에 연방 세금을 내야 하기에, 꼭 필요한 해야 할 일이긴 하지만 봄을 맞이할 시간은 훨씬 적은 것 같습니다. 하지만 적어도 호른 연주자들은 Kopprasch 립트릴 에튀드를 정복하거나 또는 Strauss tone poem 을 성공적으로 연주를 하든 항상 음악으로 무언가를 기념하거나 축하할수 있습니다.

우리의 훌륭한 정규 교육학 칼럼 Horn and More 4월호에는 (이달에는 비교할수 없이 훌륭한 Arkady Shilkloper가 발표함) 또 다른 단계의 Fearless Performance (두려움 없는 연주) 팁을 제공하며, IHS 55 개최도시인 몬트리올의 음악 역사에 대한 매혹적이고 흥미로운 통찰력을 얻을 것입니다. Horn on Record와 Composer Spotlight는 제가 가장 좋아하는 교육 자료 중 두 가지가 되었습니다. (제 학생들은 이에 대해 끊임없이 듣습니다). 우리는 Nury Guarnaschelli와의 스페인어 인터뷰를 포함하여 세계 다른 지역의 사람들과 그들의 활동을 따라잡을 것입니다. 하지만 이번 달에는 매우 특별한 두 분을 소개하게 되어 정말 기쁩니다. International Horn Society의 Executive Director인 Julia Burtscher께서 그녀의 작업과 영감을 엿볼수 있게 해줍니다. 그리고 Florian Dzierla는 Ein Waldhorn Lustig 패널에서 삽화에 대한 그의 위대한 열정 중 하나 (호른을 제외하고)를 공유합니다. 그리고 이것으로도 충분하지 않다면 우리의 뛰어난 Angela Winter가 멋진 우크라이나-호주 작곡가인 Catherine Likhuta와의 매력적인 인터뷰 1부를 제공합니다저는 여러분이 Horn and More의 이번 호에서 재미있고 유익한 정보들을 빠짐없이 모두 즐기시기를 진심으로 바랍니다. 만약 여러분중에 피드백이나 제안 사항이 있거나 또는 우리의 관심을 끌만한 가치 있는 호른 연주자 및 호른 행사를 알고 있거나 혹은 자신이 직접 기여할수 있는 무언가가 있다면 주저하지 말고 hornandmore@hornsociety.org로 이메일을 보내 알려주시기 바랍니다. 만일 Horn and More를 처음 보신다면 IHS 웹사이트의 Horn and More 페이지에서 매달 수신 받도록 등록할수 있습니다. 그렇게 해주시길 부탁 드리고, 또한 동료 및 급우들과도 공유해 주시길 부탁드립니다.

나이가 많든 적든, 학생이든 아마추어든 프로든, 지구 어느곳에 있든지 여러분을 맞이하고 기념하기 위해 우리가 여기 있습니다.

잘 연습하시길!

Mike Harcrow, 편집자, Horn and More

by Julia Burtscher

My name is Julia Burtscher, and I am the Executive Director of the International Horn Society, a position I have held since January 2019. I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, USA, and I now live here again. I lived in Cincinnati for 14 years before my job took me for 10 years to Atlanta. In each of these cities, I have had many wonderful opportunities to play horn on an amateur level and to meet hornists who continue to be my friends.

My career has been with the North American railroad industry since 1999. I work for GE Transportation, and everything I do there revolves around proprietary software systems designed for shortline and regional railroads. These systems manage every aspect of operations, from railcar movement to communication with other railroads to capturing revenue and much more. I support our customers with the software, initiate implementation and training and troubleshooting and system testing while working internally to make sure our customers’ needs are addressed. For me, it’s all about the customers, and this translates directly into my role with the IHS as well.

Technically, I am a horn convert, having started on trumpet at age 10. I played trumpet for two years, then, as I transitioned to junior high school, I decided to switch to the horn because my two best friends played horn and I wanted to sit with them in band. Fortunately, my mom recognized that I should take lessons, and I was lucky to study with Mary Kihslinger at the University of Toledo. Ms. Kihslinger told me about the IHS, and she recommended I join, so I did. While I think I let my membership lapse for a period of time in my 20s, I have been a member for many years, and I always enjoy getting my issue of The Horn Call in the mail—and reading it cover to cover!

As Executive Director of the IHS, I view my role as “keeping the wheels on the bus and removing blockers.” Specifically, keeping the wheels on the bus is the administrative part—paying bills, working with our accountant for tax filing and financial reporting, scrubbing and sending mailing lists to the printers for The Horn Call mailing, facilitating the Advisory Council elections, preparing materials for Advisory Council meetings, and a great deal more. As for removing blockers, when ideas are discussed in Advisory Council and Executive Committee meetings, I assess available tools and resources in order to implement ideas and problem-solve, play devil’s advocate to see if there are any potential problems or considerations, and verbalize our mission, always to ensure that our activities serve our mission. No day is ever the same as the last, and this job keeps me on my toes. But I have loved both the work and meeting truly amazing people who make me better just by knowing them.

I have appreciated the IHS since I joined in my youth. I know that there is one place I can go for resources—like The Horn Call, where I’ve learned about books, music, and recordings that I have purchased—that I would not have found otherwise. Even as an amateur player with a career completely outside of music, I have felt welcomed to the horn world because of the IHS, and it has served as the connection to my first love—the horn.