Rhapsodie: Fantasie: Poème

Ben Jacks , principal horn of the Sydney Symphony, is a fearless protagonist in this selection of technically and expressively demanding works by Saint-Saëns, Dukas, Koechlin, Marshall-Hall and Damase. Jean-Michel Damase, a French pianist and composer now in his 80s contributes a lively Concerto (1995) as well as a Rhapsodie (1987) commissioned by Barry Humphries for Barry Tuckwell . Also of interest is the Phantasy by George Marshall-Hall. Melbourne’s first Ormond professor of music in 1891, he was a major influence on Melbourne’s musical life, despite suffering for his seemingly unorthodox views. The Phantasy demonstrates Marshall-Hall’s compositional skill and the range of the horn. Melba has also produced the album Sublime Mozart featuring the Clarinet Concerto and the Clarinet Quintet in honour of Dame Elisabeth Murdoch’s 100th birthday. Soloist Paul Dean is joined by the Queensland Orchestra under Guillaume Tourniaire and the Grainger Quartet in ebullient accounts of these works.