The horn available to Joseph Leutgeb, the dedicatee of Mozart's horn concertos, was a valveless instrument limited to natural tones, similar to those used by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Performer Biography
Christoph Eß, the horn soloist on this album, is a prizewinner of many international competitions and serves as solo horn with the Bamberg Symphony.
Recording & Production
This album features a world premiere recording of Trygve Madsen's "Invitation to a Journey with Mozart and Four Horn Players," a work commissioned by the ensemble german hornsound.
Compositional Technique
Due to the horn's high air consumption, Mozart composed the first movements of his horn concertos with a closely-knit musical fabric between soloist and orchestra, incorporating regular breathing pauses for the soloist.
Historical Context
After 1750, no influential ruler dared to openly identify as a passionate hunter, leading to a decline in the traditional connotation of hunting motifs in music, despite their continued use.
Composition History
Mozart's four horn concertos, composed between 1783 and 1791, were all associated with the horn player Joseph Leutgeb, a gifted virtuoso who relied on outside compositions.
Interpretation
This recording includes a novel cadenza for Mozart's Horn Concerto K. 417, which was jointly created by Christoph Eß and his mentor Michael Höltzel, as Mozart's original manuscript for the first movement was incomplete.
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