Rorem's concerto for the English Horn

Synopsis

“English Horn” is an odd name for an instrument — for starters, it’s not English and it’s not a brass instrument like the French horn. The English horn is, in fact, a double reed instrument, a lower-voiced cousin of the oboe. The “English” part of its name is probably a corruption of “angle,” since it has a bend to its shape. Until late in the 20th century, its primary role was to add a darker tone color to the reed section of the orchestra, and performers who played the English horn had precious few solo concertos written to showcase their dusky-voiced instrument.

One performer, Thomas Stacy, decided to do something about that. He’s commissioned and premiered dozens of new works for his instrument. One of them — a concerto by American composer Ned Rorem — Stacy premiered on today’s date in 1994 with the New York Philharmonic.

Ned Rorem is perhaps best known as a composer of art songs, but has also composed successful orchestral and chamber works. “My sole aim in writing the Concerto for English horn, was to exploit that instrument’s special luster and pliability ... to make the sound gleam through a wash of brass and silver, catgut and steel,” said Rorem.

Music Played in Today's Program

Ned Rorem (1923-2022): Concerto for English Horn and Orchestra; Thomas Stacy, English Horn; Rochester Philharmonic; Michael Palmer, conductor; New World 80489

On This Day

Births

• 1756 - Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in Salzburg

• 1806 - Spanish composer Juan Crisostomo Arriage, in Rigoitia

• 1823 - French composer Edouard Lalo, in Lille

• 1885 - American composer Jerome Kern, in New York City

Deaths

• 1901 - Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi, 87, in Milan

Premieres

• 1726 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 72 (Alles nur nach Gottes Willen) performed on the third Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach’s third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27)

• 1733 - Handel: opera Orlando in London at the King’s Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Feb. 7)

• 1844 - Erkel: opera Hunyady László, considered the first national Hungarian opera, in Budapest

• 1849 - Verdi: opera La Battaglia di Legnano (The Battle of Legnano), in Rome at the Teatro Argentina

• 1874 - Mussorgsky: opera Boris Godunov, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Feb. 8)

• 1944 - Paul Creston: Saxophone Concerto, in New York

• 1947 - Stravinsky: Concerto, in Basle (Switzerland), by the Basle Chamber Orchestra conducted by Paul Sacher (who commissioned the work)

• 1955 - Tippett: opera The Midsummer Marriage, in London at the Royal Opera House, with John Pritchard conducting (and soprano Joan Sutherland in the cast)

• 1967 - Leon Kirchner: Quartet No. 3 for strings and electronic tape, in New York City, by the Beaux Arts Quartet. This work was awarded the 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

• 1991 - Off-Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical Assassins