I landed at a blog because of the use of “English horn” and here’s what I read:
There’s a section toward the end of the second movement where the piano defers to the cor anglais (fancy for English horn) that, well, if you know of a passage more beautiful, please let me and my planet know.
No. Cor anglais is not fancy for English horn. It’s French. It’s also used in Britain. Consdiering that the piece the blogger was talking about was Ravel’s Piano Concerto cor anglais makes a bit ‘o sense. Ya know?
Here you go, in case you want to know more:
Italian: Corno inglese
German: Englischhorn
Spanish: Corno inglés
News you can probably won’t use.
As to what the person wrote about that part of the work … indeed! It is an incredibly beautiful movement from an incredibly wonderful work. I’d love to play it again—it’s been far too long since I played the work. I’ve only performed it twice, once with Jean-Philippe Collard and once with, if I’m remembering correctly, Alicia De La Rocha. I sure wish I’d saved all my programs.
Yes, you read that correctly: I’ve not saved the majority of programs. This means I can’t remember when it was that a number of big names performed with the San Jose Symphony (RIP). The list is long and rather amazing, when I think on it; some friends and I were going over the list a while back, and were simply amazed at the names that we managed to get in our little symphony. There was Isaac Stern, Rudolph Firkusny, Leon Fleisher, Sarah Vaughan, Bill Evans, Nathan Milstein, Jorge Bolet, Aaron Copland … I mean the list goes on and on. Simply amazing, as the San Jose Symphony (RIP) wasn’t exactly in the top 10.
Oh dear … now I’m regretting all the things I’ve tossed over the years.
Hindsight.
what is the word for “one who plays hautbois”? “hautboiste”? I think I’ll start calling myself that. It sounds more fancy =)
I do think Beethoven’s 5th piano concerto, 2nd mvt. rivals the Ravel 2nd mvt. if we’re talking about piano concertos. If just concertos though, I do believe I’d go with the Barber Violin Concerto 2nd mvt.
“Hautboiste” sounds rather boisterous! Are we allowed to be boisterous?
Well, I was talking about English horn solo work, though, not the overall movement. And I must admit I’m particularly fond of EH. Beethoven’s 5th is great … unless you are the second oboist (imo) … I struggle with “those” notes. And yes, the Barber is stunning.