Allanbrook, Douglas - The Majesty of the Horn

Pieces for French Horn and Piano by DOUGLAS ALLANBROOK: The Majesty Of The Horn Stravinsky's always been my favorite 20th century composer. That's why I'm so drawn to Allanbrook's music—particularly this monumental, nearly symphonic French horn and piano piece. No writing I know so passionately explores the horn's enormous range of expression. Allanbrook's son John, a rising young horn virtuoso, turns in an extraordinarily sensitive reading—it's obvious their musical bonds go far deeper then the score. "Night Music", a panoramic five-movement suite for piano, rounds out the CD. One listen let me hear why Copeland, Rorem and Piston admired Allanbrook's composing so much. Sonically, this is one of my two or three best recordings. The horn has a huge, wonderfully reverberant sound; the accompanying Bosendorfer Imperial is thunderous with pristine overtones in the quiet passages.