Dad’s influence easy to imagine in horn pieces by Richard Strauss

Who’s your daddy? That’s a question German composer Richard Strauss might have heard when he was a boy hanging out at the Court Opera in Munich back in the 1860s. His pop, Franz, was the principal horn player for the orchestra and a major influence on the musical sensibilities of his son, who used to attend rehearsals. While junior isn’t known for playing an instrument, he did go on to become the chief conductor for the Court Opera and one of Germany’s best-known composers. Strauss junior composed two horn concertos – one at the beginning and the other at the end of his career – presumably with his father in mind. The first, in E-flat major, was written in the 1880s and will be the centerpiece for the Bangor Symphony Orchestra concert 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, at the Maine Center for the Arts. French hornist Andrew Pelletier, a native of Lewiston and former BSO player, will be the guest soloist for the concert. “Imagine Strauss getting up in the morning. Dad would have been practicing the horn while Mom was making breakfast,” said Pelletier, who runs the horn program at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. “It was almost impossible for Strauss not to have horn music in his blood. It was part of his emotional, psychological makeup as a musician.” Perhaps that’s why the first movement starts with a bright solo horn – as if to say: “Hey, Dad, look at me!” Even today, the virtuoso piece is a standard in the repertoire of horn players whether student or veteran. “It’s as if Strauss is saying, ‘I know the horn can do this because I heard my dad do it at home,'” said Pelletier. The concerto lasts about 15 minutes and is played without pause. In addition to fanfares and mellow-toned sections, the work also features a rollicking hunting-horn style. Some listeners find the concerto conservative compared with Strauss’ other works, which were considered progressive by his contemporaries (and too avant-garde by sein vater). But if you listen closely to the strains of the second movement, you can hear the lyricism and largeness of Strauss’ later works. And if that’s not breathtaking enough for you, the program also features the William Tell Overture, Chasson’s “Poeme,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” Suite. For information about the BSO concert, call 942-5555 or visit www.bangorsymphony.com.