Ben Jacks (Horn)
Barry Tuckwell (Conductor)
A sparkling recording of French and Australian works for French horn and orchestra featuring acclaimed horn soloist, Ben Jacks, with Orchestra Victoria and The Queensland Orchestra conducted by Barry Tuckwell, the grand eminence of the horn.
The title track Rhapsodie, by contemporary French composer, Jean-Michel Damase was commissioned by the famous satirist Barry Humphries for Barry Tuckwell and was first performed by him as soloist in 1987. This is the world premiere recording of this work.
Also included are world premiere recordings of the Damase Horn Concerto and Paul Terracini’s superb new orchestral arrangement of Paul Dukas’ popular Villanelle, especially commissioned for this CD and all recorded to Melba’s exacting standards.
In addition there is the well-known Morceau de Concert pour cor et orchestre, Op.94 by Saint-Saëns, the world premiere recording of the Phantasy for horn and orchestra by Australian composer, G.W.L. Marshall-Hall (1905), the first Australian horn concerto written, and Koechlin’s sensuous Poème pour cor et orchestre, Op.70bis.
Interviewed at the London launch of Hélène, Barry Humphries shares the story of the genesis of Rhapsodie by Jean-Michel Damase
'I knew Barry Tuckwell through his sister, Patricia. Known, to her great embarrassment I’m sure, in the old days, as Bambi Shmith. She was married to a wonderful photographer Athol Shmith. She herself was an accomplished violinist with the MSO. Now she’s the Countess of Harewood, and along with her husband Lord Harewood, is involved in many, many musical events. But through her I got to know her brother, Barry, and she calls him ‘the other Bazza’. I’ve always been a big fan of Barry Tuckwell’s. I love the horn as an instrument.
I heard quite by accident in Los Angeles in the ‘70s a recording of some music by this composer Jean-Michel Demase. It was very much sort of in the Poulenc, Jean Françaix tradition. I tried to find more music by this very engaging composer and I found he was still alive and teaching at the Conservatoire in Paris. He was a very modest man. He had a big reputation as a protégée. He was the son of a famous harpist. He wrote a lot for harp, a lot for strings and a lot of music for flute. I wrote to him and asked would he accept a commission. I’d never done this before. It was an impertinence really.I was thinking of my friend Barry Tuckwell in particular. So I went to Paris and asked him (Damase) if he would write a piece for orchestra and horn for Barry Tuckwell. Which he did, gladly.
So when I heard that Maria Vandamme was establishing the Melba record label, I thought well the music isn’t French, isn’t Australian rather, but Barry Tuckwell is Australian, and I who indirectly, very remotely, I caused this thing to happen am an Australian. Above all it’s not a strictly chauvinistic enterprise.'
This CD was produced with the kind support of the Australia Council for the Arts.
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Rhapsodie: Fantasie: Poème
Track Listing
Jean-Michel Damase: Concerto pour cor et orchestre* (1995) | ||||
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1 | i. Moderato | 6:03 | Preview | $2.40 Buy |
2 | ii. Allegro scherzando | 2:22 | Preview | $1.20 Buy |
3 | iii. Andante | 4:03 | Preview | $1.20 Buy |
4 | iv. Allegro vivace | 3:36 | Preview | $1.20 Buy |
Charles Kœchlin: Poème pour cor et orchestre, Op. 70bis (1927) | ||||
5 | i. Moderato, très simplement et avec souplesse | 5:39 | Preview | $2.40 Buy |
6 | ii. Andante, très tranquille, presque adagio | 3:56 | Preview | $5.80 Buy |
7 | iii Final, assez animé cependant | 4:38 | Preview | $1.20 Buy |
Jean-Michel Damse: Rhapsodie pour cor et orchestre* (1987) | ||||
8 | Rhapsodie pour cor et orchestre | 14:36 | Preview | $3.60 Buy |
Paul Dukas orch. Terracini: Villanelle ** (Dukas 1906) | ||||
9 | Villanelle | 8:46 | Preview | $2.40 Buy |
Camille Saint-Saëns: Morceau de Concert pour cor et orchestre, Op.94 (Saint-Saëns 1887) | ||||
10 | Morceau de Concert pour cor et orchestre, Op.94 | 8:46 | Preview | $2.40 Buy |
G.W.L. Marshall-Hall: Phantasy for horn and orchestra* (1905) | ||||
11 | Phantasy for horn and orchestra | 10:10 | Preview | $3.60 Buy |