Franz Josef Strauss: Horn Concerto Op. 8 - Barry Tuckwell, London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Istvan Kertész
Richard Strauss was very close to his father, one of the most famous horn players of his day, and this may well have provided him with the inspiration to write for his father's instrument. Among a number of short pieces for the horn which he wrote in his youth, some of which are still kept from inquisitive eyes by the custodians of his estate, is the superb Concerto for Waldhorn. Filled with youthful vigour and constructed on the principle of a loose series of blocks of melody rather than a ramified working-out of the themes, this particular work constitutes an early testimony to Strauss' personal style. It was only in 1942, almost 60 years later, that Strauss - who had long gone down in history as a composer of great 20th-century operas and symphonic poems - once again turned his hand to the smaller forms and wrote his great Second Horn Concerto, a work where even the stirring outer movements are full of the mellowness which is so characteristic of his later orchestral works.

A mere mention of the musicians' names in this recording leads one to expect only the very best, and expectations are certainly fulfilled in the rarely performed Horn Concerto which was composed by Richard's father, Franz Josef Strauss. There just isn't a more convincing recording available at this time.

曲目：

SIDE ONE

RICHARD STRUSS : HORN CONCERTO NO.2 IN E FLAT (1942)
Band 1. First movement: Allegro-
        Second movement: Andante con moto
Band 2. Third movement: Rondo

SIDE TWO

RICHARD STRAUSS : HORN CONCERTO NO.1 IN E FLAT, OP.11
Band 1. First movement: Allegro-
        Second movement: Andante
        Third movement: Allegro

FRANZ STRAUSS : HORN CONCERTO NO.1 IN C MINOR, OP.8
Band 2. First movement: Allegro molto-
        Second movement: Andante-
        Third movement: Allegro molto