Hoornconcerten - Virtuose Hornkonzerte

"The Gliere concerto is the most ambitious work here, running for nearly 23 minutes. It is very florid and romantic; its unlikely model is Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, to which it comes nearest in the finale which is a lively Russian dance. It is quite a jolly piece and has much in common with Richard Strauss concertos. Otherwise the best known work is the Dukas Villanelle, which is attractively diverse in mood and style, although essentially a miniature. The Saint Saens Morceau is elegant and characteristically well crafted and has a short virtuoso finale. But the real find here is the Chabrier Larghetto, an extended melisma (8:29), distinctly memorable, which Baumann plays very sympathetically. Throughout he is equal to all the fireworks and he produces a horn 'chord' in his cadenza for the first movement of the Gliere. he also favours judicious use of vibrato which is fair enough in Russian and French music. The accompaniments have plenty of energy and are finely played." (Ivan March, Gramophone 8/1987)