Background

Reinhold Glière

Reinhold Glière

Reinhold Moritzevich Glière was a Russian and Soviet composer of German–Polish descent.- Biography :Glière was born in Kiev, Ukraine...

's Concerto for Horn and Orchestra in B-flat major, Op.91 was completed in 1951. It was premiered on May 10, 1951 by Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n hornist Valery Polekh

Valery Polekh

Valery Vladimirovich Polekh was a Russian horn player. The horn concerto, Op.91 by Reinhold Glière was dedicated to him.-External links:****...

 in Leningrad (renamed St. Petersburg)

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

 with the Leningrad Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Polekh met Gliere at the Bolshoi Theater in 1950, during a break in a rehearsal of Gliere’s ballet The Bronze Horseman

The Bronze Horseman

The Bronze Horseman is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Commissioned by Catherine the Great, it was created by the French sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet. It is also the name of a narrative poem written by Aleksandr Pushkin about the statue in 1833, widely...

. During this brief encounter, Polekh suggested that Gliere write a concerto for the horn. Gliere promised he would work on a concerto in his free time. Polekh later met with Gliere and demonstrated the capabilities of the horn to him; a year later, Gliere finished writing the concerto.

The Horn Concerto is one of, or perhaps the best known of Glière’s acclaimed works. Concertos for horn are rare; well-written concerti rarer still. The addition of valves in the early 19th century allowed composers a greater flexibility in their compositions, and the horn became a full range solo instrument. Many composers, valuing its large range and unique tone, incorporated it more prominently in their compositions. Glière went one step further; he captured its full power by composing a concerto for horn and orchestra, the longest commonly played.

Structure

Despite being composed in the 1950s, the concerto is written in a neoclassical

Neoclassicism (music)

Neoclassicism in music was a twentieth-century trend, particularly current in the period between the two World Wars, in which composers sought to return to aesthetic precepts associated with the broadly defined concept of "classicism", namely order, balance, clarity, economy, and emotional restraint...

 style with strong Romantic influences; three movements comprise the concerto:

• I. Allegro
• II. Andante
• III. Moderato - Allegro vivace

The standard cadenza

Cadenza

In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....

 played with the concerto was written by Valery Polekh

Valery Polekh

Valery Vladimirovich Polekh was a Russian horn player. The horn concerto, Op.91 by Reinhold Glière was dedicated to him.-External links:****...

, the first to perform the concerto. Polekh’s cadenza is very much in the style of the concerto, and its virtuosic demands far exceed the majority of the piece. Because of this, many horn players play the exact cadenza written by Polekh. Other performers prefer to modify this standard cadenza, while still more write their own.

The concerto is one of the major works in the horn repertoire, and has been recorded a number of times.

Discography

One of the major works in the horn repertoire, the concerto has been recorded a number of times.
Given its duration (roughly 26 minutes) it is quite common to find this Horn Concerto on the same CD with other horn concerti, or Gliere’s ballet The Bronze Horseman

The Bronze Horseman

The Bronze Horseman is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Commissioned by Catherine the Great, it was created by the French sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet. It is also the name of a narrative poem written by Aleksandr Pushkin about the statue in 1833, widely...

.

The foremost example is probably Eric Ruske’s 2005 recording performed with the IRIS Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Michael Stern. Ruske plays Polekh's cadenza with slight variations

Another recording of particular merit is Marie Luise Neunecker

Marie Luise Neunecker

Marie Luise Neunecker is a German hornplayer and a professor of French horn.- Professional career :Neunecker studied musicology and German studies....

's recording with the Bamberg Symphony Chorus conducted by Werner Andreas Albert

Werner Andreas Albert

Werner Andreas Albert is a German conductor.He began his studies in musicology and history, and later studying conducting with Herbert von Karajan and Hans Rosbaud. After his 1961 debut with the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra, he became chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie...

. Neunecker performs Polehk's cadenza.

The Hermann Baumann

Hermann Baumann

Hermann Baumann is a virtuoso horn player, teacher and composer.After starting his musical career as a singer and jazz drummer he switched to horn at the age of 17...

 recording with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is one of the the oldest symphony orchestras in the world...

 conducted by Kurt Masur

Kurt Masur

Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times...

. Baumann does not play Polekh's cadenza, but rather wrote his own, of lesser popularity but nonetheless a superb cadenza.

A lesser known recording, though highly reviewed, is Eliz Erkalp's recording with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Marc Soustrot conducting.