Before World War II, there was little concerto repertoire for the horn by British composers, with Ethel Smyth's Double Concerto and Leighton Lucas's Sinfonia Brevis being rare significant examples.
Performer Biography
Dennis Brain, a celebrated horn player, significantly influenced the development of horn repertoire, with many new works intended specifically for him.
Compositional Technique
Ruth Gipps's Horn Concerto, Op. 58, written for her son Lance Baker, is notable for its particular attention to the low notes of the horn's register.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Gordon Jacob, a composer and professor at the Royal College of Music for 40 years, often wrote 'gebrauchsmusik' (utility music) for specific purposes, though some works showed a more passionate side.
Composer Biography
York Bowen, a brilliant prodigy and contemporary of Arnold Bax, was best known as a pianist and teacher, and made the first commercial recording of Beethoven's G major piano concerto in 1926.
Composition History
Malcolm Arnold's Second Horn Concerto, Op. 58, was written for Dennis Brain and premiered by him at the Cheltenham Festival on July 17, 1957, with the composer conducting.
Composer Biography
Sir Malcolm Arnold, initially an orchestral trumpeter, gained early recognition when his overture Beckus the Dandipratt was taken up by conductor Eduard van Beinum in 1947.
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