In approaching the three horn concertos debuted on this 2005 CD from Crystal, listeners should first consider that all the works are solidly traditional in form, openly tonal, and harmonically conservative, and that there are no experimental surprises lurking in these ebulliently neo-Romantic works by Eric Ewazen, James A. Beckel, Jr., and Simon A. Sargon. Secondly, one may count on horn virtuoso Gregory Hustis to deliver expressive, resonant, and technically perfect horn playing in every piece, and there are no ...
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In approaching the three horn concertos debuted on this 2005 CD from Crystal, listeners should first consider that all the works are solidly traditional in form, openly tonal, and harmonically conservative, and that there are no experimental surprises lurking in these ebulliently neo-Romantic works by Eric Ewazen, James A. Beckel, Jr., and Simon A. Sargon. Secondly, one may count on horn virtuoso Gregory Hustis to deliver expressive, resonant, and technically perfect horn playing in every piece, and there are no disappointments in his smooth interpretations and rounded tones. Thirdly, in all three works, the Dallas Philharmonia, under Paul Clifford Phillips, plays with warmth, sympathy, and enthusiasm, so on this count, too, there are no complaints. Yet after listening to this utterly wholesome CD, one may wonder why it fails to satisfy. Ewazen's Concerto for horn and orchestra, Beckel's The Glass Bead Game, and Sargon's Questings are all competent pieces that seem gratifying to play, and this is...
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