A full hour of wonderful classical music
arranged for horn ensemble.
"I chose these works because
of the fine musicality of the compositions."
Barber's Adagio for strings is
one of those works, once you know it all else is compaired
in quailty to it. The crescendo of volume and the rise to the
highest notes on the horn (way above the norm.) is spectactual,
breathtaking!
The Holberg suite in it's
Baroque Dance styles is surprizingly expressive. The range
of technical feats on the horn, used to make this music clean
and exciting on this recording may qualify it for the Best
recording Richard Burdick has done!
The Bach Cantata #82 is direct
from the soul. Hands down some of the most expressive music
ever written, deep and dark, yet with high shimmers of wonderful
horn tone.
The Bach Motet BWV 225 is
the first work by Bach that Mozart heard. This was the first
thing that was recorded for this CD (Early June 2006). After
completing the rest of the music, This was rerecorded, to make
it even better.
"It'll be a while before I'll want to work on such a high
piece again."
“Mozart knew Bach
more by hearsay than from his works; at any rate he was
quite ignorant of his motets, which had never been printed.
Scarcely had the choir sung a few bars when he started
up; a few bars more, and he called out: ‘What is
that?’ And now his whole soul seemed to be in his
ears. When the performance was over, he called out joyfully, ‘That
is indeed something from which we can learn!’ He
was told that this school, at which Sebastian Bach had
been cantor, possessed a complete collection of his motets,
and treasured them as sacred relics. ‘That’s
right! that’s fine!’ he said. ‘Let me
see them.’ As there were no scores of these works,
he got them to bring him the separate parts; and now it
was a joy to the silent observers to see how eagerly Mozart
distributed the parts around him, in both hands, on his
knees, on the nearest chairs, and, forgetting everything
else, did not rise until he had carefully read through
everything that was there of Bach’s. He begged and
obtained a copy for himself, which he valued very highly.”
More from Mr. Burdick:
After my success with the Bach Easter Oratorio(CD15), I have
found that working on multi track recordings like these hones
my skills faster than anything I have done in my musical
career.
Cantata #82 "Ich habe Genug" is
one of the most sensitive and expressive works I know. To be
able to play the entire piece as I have done is simply an amazing
experience. I have learned from this project somthing about
the depth of tonal contrast one can make with one instrument.
When I had all the accompianment parts recorded and then went
back to record the bass solo with the fullest bass sound I
could, I had no idea I could do this. Never before has any
composition inspired me to make such a sound quailty, nor has
a conductor or any other music professional ever suggested
this potential to me.
Almost inverse to the Cantata is the Motet,
still with the depth of emotion that I find in Bach, but this
time in a bright uplifing composition. A flashy ending for
a CD that took me four months to record.
