Volume 6 - James Stagliano plays Russian and French Masterpieces
Logo by Martha Blanks
This month’s Horn on Record will focus on a collection of short Russian and French pieces for horn and piano by a seminal American hornist James Stagliano with Paul Ulanowsky as pianist.
This album is fascinating for both the equisite performances and presentation of obscure gems in the repertoire, and also for the unique marketing strategy of having this album released by Pfizer Pharmaceutical Labratories as part of their Sinequan (doxepin HCL) Collector’s Series!
Released in 1971, Stagliano’s French Horn Masterpieces was one of eleven recordings comprising The Sinequan Collector’s Series. Moreover, Stagliano was well-represented in this catalog as this series also includes his recording of the complete Mozart concerti with the Zimbler Sinfonietta, as well as the Dvořák Serenade, Op. 44, the Strauss Serenade, Op. 7, and the Thuille Sextet, Op. 6, all with the Boston Woodwind Quintet and Boston Wind Ensemble.
A sidebar on the gatefold album jacket outlines the medical usage of Sinequan, a name brand for doxepin hydrochloride that was a capsule in dosages from 10mg to 50 mg. It was advertised to help “relieve excessive and frequently immobilizing psychoneurotic anxiety and depression” and that it “may produce a response where other antidepressant and antianxiety agents have failed.” Are we to assume that the fine chemists and marketers at Pfizer Laboratories found the sound of the horn a relaxing and soothing sonic balm for their Sinequan patients?
James Stagliano (1912-1987) was born in Italy and emigrated to the United States in 1920. His uncle, Albert J. Stagliano, was a hornist in the staff orchestra of the Detroit radio station WWJ in the early 1920’s. Albert later went onto to hold the positions of Principal horn in the Detroit Symphony (1929-1936), the Cleveland Orchestra (1936-1937), and as a member of the NBC Symphony under Toscanini through the end of his career. Needless to say, Albert provided much guidance and tutelage of James, who himself first played as an extra musician with the Detroit Symphony at age 16. James then joined the Detroit Symphony as Assistant Principal horn, performing alongside his uncle during the 1930-1931 concert season.
James Stagliano’s musical career then flourished, as he held appointments in St. Louis (1934-1936), the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1936-1937), a long stretch of Hollywood studio recording in the early 1940’s, the Cleveland Orchestra in 1944, and, as his final destination, joining the Boston Symphony as Co-Principal horn alongside Willem Valkinier in 1946. When Valkinier retired in 1950, Stagliano assumed the Principal position continuously through 1973. Collectively, he served as a Principal or Co-Principal of the Boston Symphony for twenty-seven years.
In addition to his storied orchestral career, Stagliano was active in recording with the orchetras of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Twentieth Century-Fox, Universal, Warner Brothers, United Artists and Walt Disney motion-picture studios. As such he played on films including Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and Fantasia. He also notably gave the American radio premiere of the Second Horn Concerto by Richard Strauss in Tanglewood in 1949, the work having already been performed in 1948 by Anthony Miranda and the Little Orchestra of New York (both well after Gottfried von Freiburg’s premiere with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1943).
While this album does feature a few cornerstone repertoire choices with Dukas’ Villanelle, Poulenc’s Elegie, and Gliere’s Nocturne, this review will focus on the shorter and more obscure gems that are all truly wonderful pieces in their own right.
Feodor Akimenko, a Ukranian composer noted as Stravinksy’s first composition teacher, gives the horn a treasure in his Melody. Stagliano presents this anthemic opening statement with a committed build to the soaring high points. Ample relaxation and elision of the notes allows the phrases to finish beautifully.
Stagliano presents another gorgeous morsel with Russian composer Alexander Gretchaninov’s Lullaby. The use of silkly and softly lifted portamento throughout the this melody lends a sense of tenderness and compassion.
An arrangement of Faure’s Après un rêve showcases Stagliano’s well-known and delicate high range. The sonic activity of the high harmonics in his sound keep the tone rich and complex, while his velvety articulation quality shapes the line without any hinderance.
Our last example comes from the French composer Émile Vuillermoz. While the title listed on the album jacket is simple Etude, this piece more specifically comes from the compilation arranged for horn by Edward Vuillermoz titled Dix Pièces Mélodiques and published by Alphonse Leduc. These selections are purposefully organized as vocalise-style etudes that incorporate generous amounts of transposition. James Stagliano plays this stormy middle section with fleet dexterity, allowing the churning piano part to drive the tempo. As the opening melody returns, Stagliano’s buttery-smooth tone and sense of line once again impart a sense of timelessness and space. Enjoy this elegant performance of a forgotten piece!
While we couldn’t supply Sineqaun for our readers, we hope that this dive into the performances of James Stagliano was a cure for any nagging earworms! Thank you for reading Horn on Record ~