Horn Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 11, Richard Strauss

The son of a professional horn player, Richard Strauss composed the first of his two concerti for horn and orchestra in 1882 at the age of 18.  His Horn Concerto No. 1 reportedly impressed  and pleased his father, who was the principal horn of the Weimar Opera orchestra.  Small wonder, for it features  virtuoso solo part that highlights both the heroic and lyrical qualities of the instrument.  The elder Strauss never performed the piece in public.  Franz Strauss was already past 60 years of age and found that the horn writing was too demanding to risk a public performance.

Strauss prefaces the concerto with a four measure horn call, a solo that conjures up age-old associations between the instrument and hunting, the forest, and nature in general.  This figure also provides the basis for the opening movement's principal theme, which now blazes forth in the orchestra.  The lovely second movement, Andante, provides a contemplative interlude, while the finale represents the tradition of the "hunting rondo," a form much-used by Haydn and Mozart(especially in his horn concerti), and other classical period composers.