Concerto for Horn, String Orchestra, and Timpani, Op. 150

Quick Facts

• Written in 1955 for British horn player Dennis Brain
• Premiered in 1956 and performed by Brain and the Welbeck String Orchestra conducted by Maurice Miles.

About the Piece

• Listen for –
  • The musical tribute to Richard Strauss‘s first horn concerto in the final (third) movement.
• Fun fact – while best known as a pianist, Bowen studied horn at the Royal Academy of Music and subsequently wrote several pieces showcasing the instrument.
  • Additional fun fact – nearly 20 years earlier, Dennis Brain’s father, Aubrey Brain, had been the inspiration for Bowen’s Horn Sonata.¹

1. Lewis Foreman, Notes in accompanying booklet, British Horn Concertos performed by David Pyatt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Braithwaite, Lyrita 316, 2015, compact disc.