COMPOSERS: Koechlin
LABELS: ASV
WORKS: Horn Sonata; Morceau de lecture pour cor; 15 Pieces, Op. 180; Sonneries
PERFORMER: Barry Tuckwell (horn); Daniel Blumenthal (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: CD DCA 716 (1990)
A disc crammed with music for horn. A daunting prospect, perhaps, but it deserves to be heard. Horn and piano make for slightly uneasy bedfellows. Koechlin catalyses this tension, creating a dramatic sense of disquiet realised with exquisite sensitivity by Tuckwell and Blumenthal.
By a miracle of modern technology, we are treated to Tuckwell in harmony with his multiple selves in the duets, trios and quartets of the Sonneries. Purists may dislike the practice, but I suspect Koechlin would have enjoyed the results. Christopher Dingle