Heroes, Tales, and Myths
Special Sound at the Sauerland Horn Festival
By Mathias Pfläging
The 8th Sauerland Horn Workshop attracted 60 musicians from all over Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland to the Sauerland region. The two leaders of the horn workshop, Uwe Becker and Mathias Pfläging, were once again able to bring in top-class coaches:
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| Team of the Sauerländer Horn Day |
Kristina Mascher-Turner and Geoffrey Winter are among the most renowned horn virtuosos of today and are recognized worldwide for their outstanding ability. Denise Tryon is also currently one of the most sought-after soloists, particularly as a low horn specialist. She agreed to the long trip from Baltimore to get to know the Sauerland Horn Festival. Jean-Christophe Naas from the German Wind Philharmonic rounded out the team of outstanding teachers.
As in past years, with much love and pedagogical skill, Chris Brigham (Folkwang University of the Arts) and Lukas Krämer (Pro Musica Sacra) led a course for 15 young “future hornists” in two groups. Education specialist Lena Dawidowski and supervisor Marco Hildebrand accompanied the junior project of the Sauerland Horn Festival, ensuring a fun and safe environment for the young musicians.
Klaus Fehr (Fehr French Horns, the Netherlands), Harm Roestenberg (Willson Band Instruments, Switzerland), and Norbert Riedel (Music Kontor Overath) took over the international horn exhibits. Riedel represented Hans Hoyer Horns (Germany). All three demonstrated the innovative ideas and the special craft of horn building that distinguishes these manufacturers.
The theme of the musical program was “Heroes, Tales, and Myths” and included several pieces that were especially arranged for the Sauerland Horn Workshop. At the beginning of this year, talented horn player and arranger Josef Kahle started working on enriching the festival‘s repertoire with tailor-made heroic film music.
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| Horn Orchestra |
After kicking off with a large horn orchestra rehearsal on Friday evening, Saturday morning’s session emphasized ensemble playing in groups of 8-10 horn players. The instructors had the responsibility of rehearsing and preparing at least one piece for the final concert with their smaller ensembles.
The program for Saturday afternoon comprised master classes and private lessons. Each participant had the opportunity to sign up for a lesson with the guest instructors in order to ask for tips and tricks, as well as to put them into practice. At the same time, the instrument exhibitors gave a lecture. Klaus Fehr of Fehr French Horns answered the participants’ questions and was also able to offer advice on all kinds of matters. After the dress rehearsal for the ensembles, all the instructors met together, professionals and very ambitious amateurs, to rehearse an extremely challenging work: the film music from “Braveheart” - a work demanding the highest level of playing - a composition spanning over 4 octaves!
So large an audience streamed into the concert on Sunday morning that extra chairs had to be brought in, and every last seat was filled.
The horn orchestra got off to a heroic start with the theme to “Star Trek: Voyager,” taking the audience on a distant journey through the galaxy and through the world of the sound of the horn. After the Baroque “Sonata Pian e Forte” by Gabrieli for two antiphonal horn choirs came “Robert the Bruce,” a composition about the fight to free Scotland.
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| Future Hornists with Lecturers |
The “Future Hornists” kicked off the smaller ensemble portion of the program and reaped enthusiastic applause for their presentation. The ensembles that followed played (with passion) film music from “Harry Potter” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” as well as classical arrangements such as “Hunter’s Delight” and “Panis Angelicus.” With “Braveheart,” the team of teachers brought the ensemble portion of the concert to a rousing close, delighting the audience with skill and a lot of fun. After the film music medley “James Bond 007” and “Andreas Hofer” (a musical tribute to the Tyrolean freedom fighter), came the grand finale featuring all participants: the adult course, “future hornists,” and teachers all played the wonderful sonorous canon, “Dona Nobis Pacem.”
The final concert was presented under the alternating conducting baton of Kristina Mascher-Turner, Denise Tryon, Geoffrey Winter, Jean-Christophe Naas, and Mathias Pfläging. Each of them brought out their own vision of sound, phrasing, and articulation with this extraordinary ensemble. The participants, teachers, and organizers all agreed: it was a successful conclusion to a memorable horn festival, in which music and passion, paired with fun and great conversation, built bridges between people of different ages and origins.
The 9th Sauerland Horn Festival in 2018 already has its first registrations, and the first instructors have been secured, so that the horn symposium from September 21-23, 2018 in the heart of Sauerland will once again be a highlight for all participants, teachers, and exhibitors.
Translation: KMT
Helden, Sagen und Mythen
English versionBesonderer Sound bei „Sauerländer Horntagen“
Von Mathias Pfläging
Das achte Symposium rund um das Horn lockte 60 Musiker aus ganz Deutschland, Luxemburg und der Schweiz in das Herz des Sauerlandes. Auch in diesem Jahr konnten die beiden Leiter der Horntage, Uwe Becker und Mathias Pfläging, hochkarätige Dozenten gewinnen:
Interview of the Month - Joshua Williams
Kristina Mascher-Turner: First of all, it seems your life may have taken an exciting turn recently...a huge congratulations on behalf of the International Horn Society on your first prize at the International Horn Competition of America! Has the high worn off yet?
Josh Williams: I think it has! As amazing as this accomplishment was, it has only motivated me to get back to work!
KMT: Please tell us a bit about how you came to play the horn in the first place, and about that moment when it all "clicked" for you - when you decided to dedicate yourself to becoming a professional musician.
JW: I decided to join the band in 7th grade because I honestly had nothing better to do. My family moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the middle of the school year, so I could not play football. My dad told me to play the horn because the school would have one available to rent. He and I both saw band as a temporary thing. I guess we were both wrong! I decided to dedicate myself to becoming a professional musician in the 10th grade after being selected for the Honor Band of America. Being around some of the other top high school musicians in the country was a humbling and life-changing experience.
KMT: Preparing for a solo competition is a very specific and personal process. How far in advance did you start practicing for the IHCA? How many hours a day did you put in during the most intense period?
JW: I started preparing for the IHCA in early May. I actually quit my summer job to prepare for the competition! I was a literal depiction of a “broke college student,” but it paid off. I honestly do not know how much I practiced during the most intense period of preparation. I often get lost in the music and several hours go by. I cut the sessions down to an hour a day starting in mid-August.
KMT: Were there any passages in the competition repertoire that were particularly challenging for you? Why?
Being Purple
IHS Members Only feature
The Creative Hornist
Jeffrey Agrell, Series Editor
This is my last Creative Hornist column. After seventeen years, I’m turning over the reins to an extremely creative team: Dr. James Naigus and Dr. Drew Phillips. Both are college horn teachers who also compose, play piano, and who have their own performing duo (“Cor Moto”) where they switch off playing each other’s compositions while the other accompanies on piano.
I’m not going anywhere, I’m just going on to other things. One of the catalysts for the change is the sabbatical I had during spring semester 2016. It was a transformative time for me in a number of ways. I got to be a beginner at something for the first time in a long time (drums/rhythm study), and that part of it was both scary and exhilarating. I was used to giving lessons where I was the expert. Now I was the novice, making imperfect efforts to imitate the master. I was nervous about my mistakes, all too aware of how far I had to go, but I couldn’t wait to get back to the drum to practice more after every lesson.
Pedagogy Column: Jose Zarzo, Gran Canaria Philharmonic
Impartir clases en Gran Canaria/Canarias/España
Desde que llegue a la orquesta filarmonica de gran canaria (www.ofgrancanaria.com) en 1989, enseguida comencé a impartir clases de trompa en la academia de la orquesta. Tuve el privilegio de tener muy talentosos alumnos, como Antonio Hernandez (actualmente solista de trompa en la banda municipal de música de las palmas de gran canaria) y Raul Ortiz (colega y solista de trompa en la orquesta filarmonica de gran canaria). Durante sus estudios, Raul y Antonio también tuvieron la suerte de ser becarios de la Orquesta Filarmonica de GC. Tocaban unas dos semanas al mes cada uno, al menos una obra del programa de cada semana, o tocaban en algún titulo de opera o concierto escolar etc.
Les hice conocer/estudiar el maravilloso libro - The Art of French Horn Playing - de Philip Farkas y otros grandes libros y les obligaba a atender todos los conciertos de la orquesta filarmonica de gc y también a disfrutar de las mas grandes/espectaculares orquestas, durante el famoso festival internacional de música de canarias (enero y febrero de cada año) donde escucharon orquestas como: Pittsburgh Symphony, Cincinnatti Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Montreal Symphony, London Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, WDR Sinfonie orchester/, NDR Sinfonie Orchester, Sinfonie Orchester des Dayerischen Rundfunks, Munich Phil, Berlin Phil, Vienna Phil, Deutsches Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, etc., etc.
Pedagogy Column: Jose Zarzo, Gran Canaria Philharmonic
Teaching in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
In 1989 when i came to Gran Canaria to play principal horn with the Gran Canaria Philharmonic (www.ofgrancanaria.com), I also immediately started teaching at the orchestra academy. I had the privilege to coach some very talented students, including Antonio Hernandez (currently principal with the municipal wind band of Las Palmas) and Raul Ortiz (currently principal and my colleague in the Gran Canaria Philharmonic). During their studies they also were appointed as apprentices with the orchestra,as part of their training, gaining valuable playing experience with a professional orchestra (normally playing 2 weeks a month, performing at least one work from the subscription program, an opera, school concert etc.)
I introduced them to the marvelous book, “The Art of French Horn Playing” by Philip Farkas and other great books. I made them go to hear all our concerts, and also visit the annual Festival de Musica de Canarias (Canary Islands Music Festival, which is held each year in January and February. There they could enjoy the greatest orchestras such as the Berlin/Munich Phiharmonic orchestras, The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester, RSO Frankfurt, NDR Sinfonie-Orchester, the New York Philharmonic, Cincinatti Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, etc. etc.
Masterclasses were organized when great hornists came to the island, including Radovan Vlatkovic, Vicente Zarzo, Rodolfo Epelde, Ab Koster, Michael Thompson, Javier Bonet, and others. It is extremely important, I think, to hear different orchestras/players and recordings, helping to shape one’s concept of sound and style. This never has been easier than it is nowadays with the help of YouTube and Spotify.
Afterwards, I also taught for years at the Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Canarias in Las Palmas, where former students Abel Perez (Norske Oper in Oslo) and Alicia Sanchez (Stuttgarter Philharmoniker) were a joy to coach.
In the end, my opinion has been always been the same: having talent is not enough. Talent, combined with discipline and hard/continuous work is the only way to be successful.
Jose Zarzo studied in The Hague with Vicente Zarzo and Martin van de Merwe. He was a member of the Spanish National Youth Orchestra and the European Community Youth Orchestra. In 1989, he became principal horn with the Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria, with whom he has toured and recorded extensively. He teaches at the Orchestra Academy and the Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Canarias in Las Palmas. His solo recordings appear on the Crystal and Summit record labels.
My Return to the Triple
By Kerry Turner
My first encounter with a triple horn was as a college freshman. I had enrolled at Baylor University to study with Bill Robinson. At the time, all I could afford was a Selmer double. Prof. Robinson had just acquired 2 Paxman triples, I’m not sure how, and offered to let me play one of them. It was an instant love affair. Mind you, it wasn’t about playing high notes. I’ve always been blessed with a decent high range. What was it about the horn that made so much sense to me? I think the best way to understand it is to look at what I did not like about the double horn. You don’t really know what is limiting about a double until you learn to play a triple.
Recently, I had the very same experience. I played a Paxman triple during all of my years with the American Horn Quartet. When I began playing with that venerable ensemble, I was playing an Alex 103. The members of the AHQ strongly recommended that I switch to a triple horn. They claimed that, given the sort of repertoire and length of concerts we would be performing, I would soon see the advantages of such an instrument.
Last year, shortly after the AHQ retired, I began to long for a double horn again. the double felt so light in my hands. I felt the vibrations coming off the instrument better. It was sort of like driving a sports car after years behind the wheel of a Winnebago.
However, after a while, the limitations of the double horn began to make themselves known. After six days of 6-hour recording sessions in the orchestra, on the last day, I was faced with extremely delicate, soft and stopped passages on a piece. It was tough going for me. One of my colleagues, who was playing a triple, showed me how much easier that particular passage would be using the high F side. I tried it, and the notes popped right out.
