Beethoven: Sextet Op. 81b; Schubert; Haydn.

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This record showcases Dennis Brain as soloist and in various chamber music combinations; afterward, he explains and demonstrates horns of different vintage, ending with the Prologue of Benjamin Britten's Serenade for Horn, Tenor, and Strings, written for him and Peter Pears. In every capacity, his incredible instrumental mastery, flawlessly beautiful tone, natural musicality, collegial spirit, and unerring sense of style are fully displayed. Among the program's rarities, a piece by Arnold Cooke is charming, romantic, and very English; wind quintets by Ibert and Milhaud are charming, Impressionist, and very French. Beethoven's Sextet Op. 81b for two horns and strings, an early work despite the late opus number, is lovely, brilliant, and full of high spirits; a Mozart Divertimento, originally for eight winds, is delightful. (The piano part mentioned in the booklet is not audible.)

Brain's Quintet includes his brother Leonard on oboe, and flutist Gareth Morris, who also provides the liner notes and the photographs (unfortunately without identifying Brain's companions). The recording's weak spot is the Haydn Concerto, where Brain is hampered by an orchestra that sounds poor, plays out of tune and with unstylistic throbbing intensity. The high point is Schubert's "Auf dem Strom," written shortly before he died, one of his greatest songs set to one of his worst poems. Listeners who remember Pears's voice as a young man should be warned that it sounds entirely different: less light in weight and color, less otherworldly. However, the old vocal and expressive magic is fully intact and the performance, though the piano is much too soft, is riveting in its passionate urgency and heartbreaking in its yearning, resigned leave-taking, a sad reminder that we have lost these three artists, two of them very young. --Edith Eisler

Beethoven: Sextet Op. 81b; Schubert; Haydn., Music, Ludwig van Beethoven, Dennis Brain, Arnold Cooke, Franz Joseph Haydn, Jacques Ibert, Darius Milhaud, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Alan Civil, Dennis Brain, George Malcolm, Noel Mewton-Wood, Peter Pears, Chamber, Chamber Music, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Artists, Classical Music, Concerto, French Horn Concerto, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous Music, Quintet for Five Woodwind Instruments, Sextet for Mixed Instruments without Keyboard, Sextet for Six Woodwind Instruments, Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble, Vocal
Beethoven: Sextet Op. 81b; Schubert; Haydn.
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Brain's Performance of Auf dem Strom
 Beethoven: Sextet Op. 81b; Schubert; Haydn.
Franz Schubert , Leo Wurmser , and Dennis Brain Wind Quintet
Manufacturer: BBC Legends
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

QuintetsQuintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
SextetsSextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Ibert, JacquesIbert, Jacques | ( I ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAll Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by SchubertAll Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
French HornFrench Horn | Brass | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
Brain, DennisBrain, Dennis | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00005A3MJ
Release Date: 2001-04-24

Tracks:

  1. Sxt in E flat, Op.81b: I. Allegro Con Brio - English Str Qt/Alan Civil/Dennis Brain
  2. Sxt in E flat, Op.81b: II. Adagio - English Str Qt/Alan Civil/Dennis Brain
  3. Sxt in E flat, Op.81b: III. Rondo. Allegro - English Str Qt/Alan Civil/Dennis Brain
  4. Auf Dem Strom, Op.Post.119, D.943 - Peter Pears/Dennis Brain/Noel Mewton-Wood
  5. Divert No.14 in B flat, K.270: I. Allegro Molto - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt/George Malcolm
  6. Divert No.14 in B flat, K.270: II. Andantino - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt/George Malcolm
  7. Divert No.14 in B flat, K.270: III. Menuetto. Moderato - Trio - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt/George Malcolm
  8. Divert No.14 in B flat, K.270: IV. Presto - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt/George Malcolm
  9. Con No.1 in D, Hob.Vlld:3: I. Allegro - Dennis Brain
  10. Con No.1 in D, Hob.Vlld:3: II. Adagio - Dennis Brain
  11. Con No.1 in D, Hob.Vlld:3: III. Allegro - Dennis Brain
  12. Arioso - Dennis Brain/Marjorie Lempfert/Carter Str Trio
  13. Scherzo - Dennis Brain/Marjorie Lempfert/Carter Str Trio
  14. Trois Pieces Breves: I. Allegro - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt
  15. Trois Pieces Breves: II. Andante - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt
  16. Trois Pieces Breves: III. Assez Lent - Allegro Scherzando - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt
  17. La Cheminee Du Roi Rene, Op.205: Ste: I. Cortege - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt
  18. La Cheminee Du Roi Rene, Op.205: Ste: II. Aubade - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt
  19. La Cheminee Du Roi Rene, Op.205: Ste: IV. La Maousinglade - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt
  20. La Cheminee Du Roi Rene, Op.205: Ste: V. Joutes Sur L'Arc - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt
  21. La Cheminee Du Roi Rene, Op.205: Ste: VI. Chasse A Valabre - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt
  22. La Cheminee Du Roi Rene, Op.205: Ste: VII. Madrigal-Nocturne - Dennis Brain Wind Qnt
  23. The Early Hn - Dennis Brain

Amazon.com

This record showcases Dennis Brain as soloist and in various chamber music combinations; afterward, he explains and demonstrates horns of different vintage, ending with the Prologue of Benjamin Britten's Serenade for Horn, Tenor, and Strings, written for him and Peter Pears. In every capacity, his incredible instrumental mastery, flawlessly beautiful tone, natural musicality, collegial spirit, and unerring sense of style are fully displayed. Among the program's rarities, a piece by Arnold Cooke is charming, romantic, and very English; wind quintets by Ibert and Milhaud are charming, Impressionist, and very French. Beethoven's Sextet Op. 81b for two horns and strings, an early work despite the late opus number, is lovely, brilliant, and full of high spirits; a Mozart Divertimento, originally for eight winds, is delightful. (The piano part mentioned in the booklet is not audible.)

Brain's Quintet includes his brother Leonard on oboe, and flutist Gareth Morris, who also provides the liner notes and the photographs (unfortunately without identifying Brain's companions). The recording's weak spot is the Haydn Concerto, where Brain is hampered by an orchestra that sounds poor, plays out of tune and with unstylistic throbbing intensity. The high point is Schubert's "Auf dem Strom," written shortly before he died, one of his greatest songs set to one of his worst poems. Listeners who remember Pears's voice as a young man should be warned that it sounds entirely different: less light in weight and color, less otherworldly. However, the old vocal and expressive magic is fully intact and the performance, though the piano is much too soft, is riveting in its passionate urgency and heartbreaking in its yearning, resigned leave-taking, a sad reminder that we have lost these three artists, two of them very young. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Brain's Performance of Auf dem Strom.......2001-07-16

This disk contains one of the most outstanding instrumental performances on record, Dennis Brain's 1953 radio performance of Schubert's "Auf dem Strom". Even those who have already been amazed by Brain's rapid technique in other, more famous recordings will hardly be prepared for the shock on first hearing the delicacy and musical intelligence of Brain's long phrases, his turns, trills, and resolutions, as well as the skill of his accompaniment. As the recording was for radio broadcast, it was possibly from a single take. This is the stuff of legend.

The mystery of this performance is only heightened by its surroundings. Rellstab's poetry is dull even to those who know German, and in following it to the bitter end Schubert's music (as the notes to the LP of the 1960 Marlboro performance admit) does not quite escape becoming tedious. Furthermore, most potential listeners will not be aware that the horn was in 1953 a clunky, mistake-prone instrument, of which few players risked themselves as soloists before the public.

In sum, one would not expect the general public to find any interest in a clean run-through of this yawner. And yet, Brain's performance leaves horn players agape and is surely one of the finest instrumental recordings ever.

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