Franz Strauss: Horn concerto

Day 215

Franz Strauss: Horn concerto in C minor op 8

Samuel Seidenberg

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Sebastian Weigle

Franz Strauss, Richard’s father, was one of the foremost horn players of his time. He played in a number of important Wagner premiers, although he had no sympathy for Wagner’s music - and the composer had no sympathy for him as a person saying of him (according to Wikepedia)  "Strauss is a detestable fellow but when he blows his horn one cannot sulk with him.”

This horn concerto dates from 1865 and shows Franz Strauss conservative frame of reference- much of it could have been written by Schumann or even Mendelssohn. In purely musical terms is it a fairly slight work and at times is rather cliched, but it does give the horn plenty of opportunities to shine - which is I suppose the whole point of the piece. It is perhaps a little more than a mere curiosity, but I doubt that many people would have given it much attention had it not been for the fact that it fits nicely on a CD with Richard Strauss’s two horn concertos.