June 14, 2019

  • Maskuniitty Makes Solo Debut

     

    Music for Horn and Orchestra
    Markus Maskuniitty, horn.
    Martin Schopfer, Kristofer Oberg, Monica Berenguer Caro, horns.
    Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Sakari Oramo
    Ondine 1339-2
    Total Time:  59:08
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    The French Horn began its life outdoors and when it finally made it into the orchestra its range was fairly limited.  Through most of the 18th Century it was used to punctuate cadences.  Mozart explored the instruments capabilities in his horn concertos and by the time Beethoven began writing orchestral music, performers were beginning to also explore greater capabilities of the instrument.  Thus began its movement from a symbol of the outdoors and the hunt to one of romantic longing adding a unique color that would be explored fully throughout the 19th Century.  In his debut recording for Ondine, Markus Maskuniitty has chosen four works from across a century of music for the instrument.  Maskuniitty has been principal horn for the Berlin Philharmonic and is principal horn for the orchestra that accompanies him here.  Sakari Oramo is their principal conductor and this continues to expand his quite diverse recorded repertoire.

    Schumann often thought of the horn as the “soul of the orchestra”.  His most memorable use of them may be in his Rhenish symphony.  The addition of valves to the horn (patented in 1818) added to its expressive capabilities and Schumann was the first composer to compose a work that would explore this in his Konzerstuck for 4 Horns, Op. 86 (1849).  It is a fine concertante work cast in three connected movements that highlights some of the primary moods of the instrument: heroism, romance, and majesty.  The performance here pays close attention to the accents and captures the styles of the period very well with superb support from the orchestra.  Balance is also carefully nuanced.  The music still has that distant echo of Beethoven which is brought out by the precision of articulation and delineated forms.  The central movement begins to really bring us more lyricism and romantic sensibility.  Most impressive are the ways the four soloists match their sound as lines are handed off from one to the next.  There is also a real sense of love for the music which further helps lift it to a more engaging performance.  Schumann wrote two additional works for the new valve horn.  Of these, his Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70 (1849) has become a significant repertoire piece for the instrument.  In the late 1950s, the great Swiss conductor arranged the work for orchestra and subsequently recorded it.  That arrangement is revisited here in a stunningly gorgeous performance.  In fact, the Schumann performances here make one want to hear Oramo’s take on his symphonies as well.

    The Morceau de concert, Op. 94 (1887) was written at the height of Saint-Saens popularity.  He would also composer three works for the instrument.  This one was dedicated to the horn builder Henru Chaussier (creator of his own Cor Chaussier).  Cast in three movements, one gets a real sense of Saint-Saens assured hand in orchestration that really comes out in the central slow movement.  The piece is in the grand romantic tradition.  Interesting aspects of the work include the way tone and notes are shaped by hand in bell placement.  This comes out well here, though the modern instrument likely allows for a smoother tone.  These subtleties though can still be heard in Maskuniitty’s performance.

    Reinhold Gliere (1875-1956) is mostly known today for his ballet The Red Poppy.  His output includes a number of symphonic poems and three rather remarkable symphonies but his music was a bit overshadowed by the political turmoil of the Russian Revolution.  Unlike others who fled, Gliere remained in Russia carving out a life as an educator and continuing to composer works often approved by the state.  Later in his life, he began composing a number of concertos for various instruments.  The most famous of these, and his last completed orchestral work, is the Horn Concerto in Bb, Op. 91 (1951).  Written for Valery Polekh (1918-2006) the hornist with the Bolshoi Orchestra, Gliere’s work was modeled on Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and in many respects is a last glimpse of an era of romanticism and folkish influences that were part of the 19th-Century Russian classical tradition.  For many this will be a wonderful discovery of an engaging concerto with colorful orchestral writing.  Unlike the earlier pieces on the album, the miking here is close enough to pick up some of Maskuniitty’s breathing, especially in the cadenza—which features some awesome low register playing.

    Sometimes in recordings of works for soloist with orchestra the latter sort of takes a back seat often just reading through the music with a distant professionalism.  In this recording, it really feels like conductor and orchestra are working as hard as the soloist to bring us performances of great detail and shape that match Maskuniitty’s virtuoso performances here.  There is also a sense of joy in this whole interaction that often leads to some exhilarating music making.  It is even more impressive that this consistency exists for these recordings made between 2016 and 2018.  For those who love 19th Century music and are expanding their own listening repertoire, this album should bring a lot of pleasure and bear up under repeated listening.