Review Text
Solo works for French horn and piano performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra musician David Griffin Review from Fanfare Magazine Nov/Dec 2010: Years ago, not a great deal was expected from a fourth horn player in an orchestra, even a major one like Boston, New York or Chicago. He (in those days it was always a he) was expected to provide a solid foundation to the section and power in the lower range (something "high horn" players could not always manage). He almost never got a chance to play a solo; even the long, glorious passage in the slow movement of Beethoven's Ninth was usually taken away from him by the principal player of the section. Well, times have changed. Fourth horn players in many orchestras now possess the agility, versatility and musicianship to play any other part as well, including principal. In an orchestra of the standard of the Chicago Symphony, you can bet the fourth horn player there is world-class both as a musician and a technician. Such is the case with David Griffin, who has been in that position since 1995. "I love my fourth-horn job," says Griffin, "but I need to do recitals too in order to keep my skills from deteriorating." Strangely enough, even though the brass section of the CSO has been it's pride and glory for nearly half a century, I know of just one other recital program on disc by a member of that orchestra's horn section (Gail Williams). This makes Griffin's effort all the more welcome. The hour-long program includes several pieces every horn player knows, beginning with Bozza's bright-'n-breezy En Forêt, which takes as it's point of departure the big hunting horn call from Respighi's Feste romane. This provides a splendid opportunity for a virtuosic show for the instrument. Both Dukas' Villanelle and Saint-Saëns' Romance reveal Griffin's musicality at it's best, replete with limpid phrasing and glowing tone. There are also some rarities and the world premiere recording of the Broughton sonata. "This is repertoire that I have enjoyed playing in recitals over the last few years, says Griffin. "With the Broughton sonata as the focal piece, the rest of the CD is a rough approximation of a full-length program." Bruce Broughton, a former horn player himself, is an extremely prolific composer of Hollywood film scores (Silverado, Lost in Space, Tombstone, Young Sherlock Holmes) and television soundtracks (Hawaii Five-0, Dallas, How the West Was Won). Broughton's film experience shows in the sonata's opening page - a long-breathed, sumptuously lyrical line for the horn that floats and soars over the piano as if to suggest a leisurely flight through fluffy white clouds on a summer's day. Thereafter Broughton presents an unending series of fascinating ideas, some developed, some not, but always engaging to the ear and well-written for the instrument. Griffin handles the special difficulties of the low range with the assurance of, well, a good fourth-horn player, but he also soars (or sky-rockets, as the case may be) into the instrument's stratosphere with the ease of a Dennis Brain. He maintains a lovely, pure sound evenly throughout a range of over three octaves; his middle range in particular has a haunting beauty (the instrument is a Lewis, with an Alexander flare bell). He also demonstrates the agility of a flute or a clarinet and never gives the impression anything is in the least difficult for him. But most importantly, among prominent horn players today, Griffin is one of the most innately musical I know. This quality elevates the disc to the realm of interest for all music lovers, not just horn players. Pianists Patrick Gordon and Maureen Zoltek match Griffin in both technical matters and musicianship, performing as equal partners with the horn. The acoustic setting is a bit dry but live and vital. The only element missing from Griffin's otherwise outstanding production is badly-needed program notes. In their absence, I contacted the artist for his comments on some of the lesser-known r
