# Which recording of Brahms “Horn” Trio, Opus 40.



## Gray Bean

*Which recording of Brahms "Horn" Trio, Opus 40?*

Love this piece. Recommendations?


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## ORigel

Youtube has a beautiful performance with period instruments. Isabelle Faust - violin; Teunis van der Zwart - natural horn; Alexander Melnikov - Bösendorfer piano:


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## Gray Bean

Many thanks....I love the sound of the natural horn. Evidently so did Brahms. I seem to recall reading that he preferred the natural horn to the (then) new valve horn.


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## flamencosketches

I like the Barry Tuckwell/Vladimir Ashkenazy/Itzhak Perlman pretty good, the György Sebok/Arthur Grumiaux/Francis Orval less so, but it's still not bad. Haven't heard any others. I like this work too. Maybe more should be written for this ensemble.


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## Gray Bean

I have the Tuckwell version...it is good. I also have the Serkin/Tree/Bloom version from Marlboro. It is a real barn burner!


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## Josquin13

I first heard this music in Louis Malle's film, Au revoir les enfants, which I saw in the cinema back in the 1980s. It took some searching in order to figure out what the piece was (in the pre-internet days), and which recording was used in the film. I should have just waited through the film credits, but it wasn't until afterwards that I realized the Brahms (& Schubert Moments Musicaux) had stuck in my mind. As it turned out, Malle had used the 4th movement from Brahms' Horn Trio, played by the French ensemble, Les Musiciens, on Harmonia Mundi (as part of their Brahms chamber series for HM). It's a terrific, lively performance--as I recall, but the recording appears to be very out of print now, and even if you could find it on CD, it would most likely need a new remastering (I had it on LP).

Here are two other performances that I've liked very much:

--Czech Nonet, with pianist Ivan Klansky (of the Guarneri Trio Prague, who are excellent, too): https://www.music-bazaar.mobi/class...Brahms-Serenade-Op-11-Trio-Op-40-Czech-Nonet/. The Czech musicians here seem to find a near perfect balance between the classical & romantic elements in this music. Personally, I don't care for the versions that are heavily late romantic in their interpretations. As I don't think this music should sound ponderous, nor imprecise or messy.

--Members of the New Vienna Octet (Günter Högner & Erich Binder), with pianist Andras Schiff--this is a very beautiful performance: 

















EDIT: One more: the Nash Ensemble is pretty good, too, but probably not quite as fine as the two performances listed above: 




Historically speaking, there's a 1933 performance by Aubrey Brain (the father of Dennis Brain), Adolf Busch, and Rudolf Serkin that is worth hearing: 



 . Aubrey's son, Dennis also made a fine recording, as did Alan Civil (with Yehudi & Hephizibah Menuhin), but I'm not sure if those are in print?

I've just done a search and the Dennis Brain recording is back in print: 



.

& recorded by the BBC:









So too is the Alan Civil/Menuhins recording:


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## Mandryka

Gray Bean said:


> Love this piece. Recommendations?


Ferenc Tarjani, Deszo Ranki, Gabor Takacs-Nagy on Hungaroton.


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## Gray Bean

Thank you all for these replies. Several recordings recommended that I don't know. I especially love the Czech horn sound. More woodwind than brass....but edgy and powerful when necessary. Just discovered Talk Classical. I'm already enjoying it.


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## Gray Bean

I will look for the Czech recording and the Hungaroton disc. Thanks.


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## Open Book

I also like the Tuckwell/Ashkenazy/Perlman a great deal. The Franck sonata on the flip side is persuasive, too.
The Czech horn sounds interesting so maybe I should push myself to try a new one.


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## Gray Bean

Pulled the Tuckwell/Ashkenazy/Perlman off the shelf for a listen this morning. I’d forgotten how much I love this piece and this particular recording. Wonderful music. I played it in college for my degree recital. Ordered the Aubrey Brain/Busch recording today.


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## Enthusiast

I know quite a few - many of them very good - but I really want to second the Faust, der Zwart, Melnikov version as something very special. Certainly it reinvigorated my appreciation of the work and has made me think of it as a much finer work than I had previously.


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## Rogerx

In no particular order:

Victor Babin (piano), Henryk Szeryng (violin), Joseph Eger (horn)
András Schiff (piano), Erich Binder (violin), Günter Högner (french horn)
Radovan Vlatkovic (horn), Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano), Hans Maile (violin)


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## Brahmsian Colors

In addition to very fine playing, I find Ashkenazy, Perlman and Tuckwell provide the best combination of grandeur, poignancy and spiritedness among modern performances of this marvelous work. I also like very much the older mono version featuring Busch, Brain and Serkin.


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## Enthusiast

^ Yes, the Busch, (Aubrey) Brain, Serkin account is great.


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## Gray Bean

Enthusiast said:


> I know quite a few - many of them very good - but I really want to second the Faust, der Zwart, Melnikov version as something very special. Certainly it reinvigorated my appreciation of the work and has made me think of it as a much finer work than I had previously.


I listened very carefully to this recording. I agree. It is very special. Glad I have it now. Thank you.


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## SanAntone

Beaux Arts Trio: Francis Orval (French Horn), György Sebok (Piano), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin)

View attachment 136206


Florestan Trio with Stephen Stirling (horn)

View attachment 136207


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## SturmischBewegt

*Lowell Greer, the natural horn, and Brahms*

Hi all! My first post to Talk Classical and it's on one of my favorite pieces to listen to. . . or to play.

As the Horn Trio was written for natural horn (or hand horn), I am most drawn to Lowell Greer's masterful 1991 recording with Stephanie Chase and Steven Lubin. Playing the Horn trio on the original natural horn is a total beast and Greer makes it sound so easy, so smooth and plaintive. I prefer this natural horn recording over recordings played on modern horns. Part of it is that Brahms himself played the hand horn, as did his father. And he while could have written for horn with valves he clearly preferred the sound of the natural horn. And Brahms really understood the tonality possible.

Give the Greer recording a listen:





For more on the natural horn and Brahms, here's a great link:
http://www.public.asu.edu/~jqerics/brahms-natural-horn.html

Of course there's always the genius Dennis Brain or Barry Tuckwell on the modern double horn. 
(My defaults for hornist are: Dennis Brain, Hermann Baumann, Barry Tuckwell)

PS: Greer's other record on natural horn, all Mozart, is dazzling.


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## Gray Bean

Agreed about the Greer recording. I also love the newish recording on Harmonia Mundi with Teunis van der Zwart on natural horn.


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## Knorf

Lowell Greer. Yes, indeed. Much recommended!


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## Gray Bean

Did Baumann record the Brahms, Opus 40? I have lots of his CDs, but I don't think he did.


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## flamencosketches

Going to check out the Greer, thanks. I've only heard it played on the modern horn, and it's glorious enough just like that. I expect even better things on the instrument it was actually intended for.


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## Gray Bean

Just got the Chandos recording (Michael Thompson) and the one with Andras Schiff on DECCA. Thanks for the tips.


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## Simplicissimus

I have a somewhat obscure CD recording of the Brahms Op. 40 horn trio that I bought used about 10 years ago when I was living in Frankfurt am Main. It features legendary Gewandhausorchester Leipzig horn player Peter Damm with Josef Suk on violin and Werner Genuit on piano. It's paired with the clarinet trio. I love this recording! The musicians are comfortable with the piece and evidently take great joy in it. I don't own any other recordings, but I think this one compares very favorably to some of the previously mentioned ones that I've heard on the radio.









I also picked up while in Germany a version of the Op. 40 played on viola instead of horn. Because I am a fan of the viola, I tend to enjoy viola versions of music written for other alto instruments (clarinet and horn in particular). I hope this doesn't trigger anyone! I do like the actual horn version, too! Anyway, the fiery Russian violist Maxim Rysanov made a recording in 2007 on the Onyx label that might be of interest.


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## Gray Bean

Peter Damm is a wonderful hornist. I’ll look around for it. Also, the Viola version...even though I am a horn player! Just listened to the Testament CD of Serkin, Busch and Aubrey Brain (Dennis’ father). A fabulous performance.


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## Josquin13

Gray Bean said:


> Did Baumann record the Brahms, Opus 40? I have lots of his CDs, but I don't think he did.


Baumann is one of my favorite horn players. The good news is that yes he did record the Brahms Horn Trio, on a natural horn, with violinist Stoika Milanova, and pianist Malcolm Frager, for the BASF label in 1971. The bad news is that, to my knowledge, the recording has never been released on CD (& I've never heard it, & it's not posted on You Tube, either...):

From Baumann's website:

Johannes Brahms Trio Es-Dur für Klavier, Violine, und Waldhorn, Op. 40 Malcom Frager, klavier; Stoika Milanova, violine; Hermann Baumann, horn 1971 MP8 168 007 1971 MP8 BASF 2521184 -3









If only I owned a record label...


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