Dennis Brain

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Richard [1] Strauss (Composer), Alceo Galliera (Conductor), Walter Süsskind (Conductor), Hallé (Orchestra), Philharmonia Orchestra (Orchestra), Philharmonia Orchestra of London (Orchestra), Denis Matthews (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Denis Matthews
• Orchestra: Hallé, Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra of London
• Conductor: Alceo Galliera, Walter Süsskind
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard [1] Strauss
• Audio CD (September 15, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Pearl
• ASIN: B00000AG5E
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #462,967 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Quintet for horn, violin, 2 violas & cello in E flat major, K. 407 (K. 386c): Allegro

2. Quintet for horn, violin, 2 violas & cello in E flat major, K. 407 (K. 386c): Andante

3. Quintet for horn, violin, 2 violas & cello in E flat major, K. 407 (K. 386c): Rondo (Allegro)

4. Sonata for horn & piano in F major, Op. 17: Allegro moderato

5. Sonata for horn & piano in F major, Op. 17: Poco Adagio, quasi Andante

6. Sonata for horn & piano in F major, Op. 17: Rondo, Allegro moderato

7. Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, K. 417: Allegro maestoso

8. Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, K. 417: Andante

9. Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, K. 417: Rondo

10. Horn Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, K. 447: Allegro

11. Horn Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, K. 447: Romance, Larghetto

12. Horn Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, K. 447: Allegro

13. Horn Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 11 (TrV 117): Allegro

14. Horn Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 11 (TrV 117): Andante

15. Horn Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 11 (TrV 117): Allegro

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dennis Brain Is Always Worth Five Stars, November 23, 2004

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dennis Brain (Audio CD)

Perhaps the greatest horn player of all time, Dennis Brain died at the age of 36, but fortunately for music lovers everywhere he left an abundance of recorded works to treasure and savor. This CD is a collection of 15 pieces recorded by Brain in the 1940s when he was still quite young. The performances (particularly of the Mozart and Strauss pieces) are magnificent in every way, and deserve to be in the collection of any classical music devotee.

In every regard these are five star performances, but understand that due to the age and condition of the original source recordings, there is a degree of background noise present that listeners of modern digital recordings will find unfamiliar. The background noise isn't particularly objectionable, I just note here that it exists; don't let this issue dissuade you, though: this is an absolutely beautiful CD and deserves to be listened to repeatedly.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a great value, June 4, 2006

By 

Michael Simpson "ttlms" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dennis Brain (Audio CD)

Of course I love Dennis Brain; he inspired me to become a French horn player. Of course the recordings listed here are the best recordings there are. But each of these selections are included in more complete collections, and this album is just a re-re-re-release of the material. Like Brain Strauss's First Horn Concerto? You should hear the Second! You can get them both, together with the Hindemith Horn Concerto and Horn Quartet. Why get two Mozart concerti when you can get all four! Beethoven's Horn Sonata (not my favorite horn selection) is still available with Mozart's Divertimento for two horns and orchestra. And Mozart's horn quintet, the last of these five (not fifteen) selections, is found on a recording with Dukas's "Villanelle" and Brahms's Horn Trio.

I would not recommend this selection unless you have none of the works on it and don't plan to build a full Dennis Brain collection. If you do that, fine, but you're missing some of the top of the literature, particularly the Strauss Second, Mozart Fourth, and Villanelle.,