Bach: Cello Suite No. 2, Mvt. 1 - I've played this piece before, back on my Junior recital in 2007. I remember a lot about it...such as how difficult performing any unaccompanied Bach on horn can be! Seriously though, a lot of my ideas and the fingerings have retained; I just need to develop the chops for it!
Mozart: Concerto Rondo - A piece not to often performed, but it serves as a great filler and variety for the rest of my program. This piece isn't very taxing, either. A good amount of rest. It has a lovely little cadenza in it, too. I'm very excited to perform this work for the first time.
Franz Strauss: Concerto for Horn - I've wanted to perform this concerto for a while, so I'm finally doing it. It's a very standard concerto, and common for high school and college players because it isn't terribly difficult technically. Playing the concerto as a whole is hard, and there are quite a lot of musical challenges. It's one heck of a piece to hear if your hornist can convey the music...that's my goal.
Dukas: Villanelle - This is another piece I've wanted to play for a while but never did. I heard a lot of my colleagues at CWU perform this, including my own wife! I also worked on it with one of my students for Solo & Ensemble this winter. So, I decided it was finally time to perform it. And plus, working on it with this student has gotten me to know the piece quite well.
And I'm hopefully playing a duet with my wife. We haven't figured it out yet. But we will.
So, if you're local to Oak Harbor and can make it, come check out my recital! It's quite a treat to hear a solo horn playing a recital like this, particularly in an area that isn't really known for high-level brass playing, let alone horn playing. And I plan to do this at least once a year, both for myself, and for the community. I want to get this area livened up with brass playing, and Classical & Jazz music in general. I want the children hear to know what good brass playing sounds like, and what good music sounds like. I want to make a name for Whidbey in the music world, where people consider this place a working factory of highly skilled brass players.
But hey, I'm just dreaming...as I do often.
Take care and value music...and come to my recital!!!!