Volume 9 - Ferenc Tarjáni
Logo by Martha Blanks
We’re returning to Hungary for this month’s album, unearthing a piece lost to time by composer Endre Székely and performed by the fabulous virtuosi hornist Ferenc Tarjáni. The Concerto in Memoriam Anton Webern was commissioned by Tarjáni in 1973 and recorded for the Hungaroton label in 1976.
The composer Endre Székely studied with Zoltán Kodály in Budapest and was well-regarded for his work with and compositions for choirs, though he did also compose three wind quintets in the early 1960’s. This Concerto is based on a quotation of Anton Webern’s music, which grew from pedagogical analysis Székely made while teaching. For a more detailed description of the music and form, see the album jacket reverse:
Our hornist Ferenc Tarjáni (1938-2017) was born in Dorog, Hungary and came to the horn after a broken wrist derailed his violin studies at the Béla Bartók School of Music. From 1958 onward he was the first hornist of the Hungarian Radio Orchestra, and between 1962-1966 was a prize winner at the international competitions in Geneva, Munich, and Budapest. From 1975 until his retirement he taught at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, and has many recordings of solo and chamber music to his credit. He was a founding member of the Budapest Chamber Ensemble and the Tarján Horn Quartet, and a member of the Hungarian Wind Quintet. His musical prominence has been acknowledged by the Ferenc Liszt Prize in 1965 and 1967, the Outstanding Artist Award in 1980, and the Bartók-Pászthory Prize in 2002.
This concerto is certainly demanding for the soloist, as several cadenza passages explore the wide range of techniques possible on the horn. In this example, bookending low bass grumbles lead to a climatic horn call accompanied by chattering woodwinds:
A later section uses the horn as a musical conduit tying together the fragmented choruses of woodwinds, brass, and then strings:
Another long cadenza displays Tarjáni’s incredible range and dexterity as the sustained pedal tones are contrasted by increasing exclamatory interjections into the high range, leading to a soaring high Eb:
While this concerto may challenge the listener through its striking tonality and challenging formal construction, it does have moments of repose and beauty. Tarjáni plays with warmth and woodwind-like clarity as the piece concludes:
If you love contemporary horn solos, find yourself a recording on vinyl of this concerto! While few of these pieces enter the standard repertoire, it is so important that artists like Tarjáni continue to push the boundaries of our instrument and how it can be used in every sonic landscape. Thanks as always for reading Horn on Record!