Horn Concerto (Carter)


The Concerto for Horn and Orchestra is a horn concerto by the American composer Elliott Carter. The work was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra for the horn player James Sommerville. It was first performed on November 15, 2007 in Boston by Sommerville and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the conductor James Levine.

Composition

The concerto has a duration of 12 minutes and is composed in seven short connected sections, which Carter described in the program note as "presenting the many different facets of the horn, which are most remarkable and beautiful."

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo horn and an orchestra comprising two piccolos, flute, two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, two trumpets, two trombones, tuba, three percussionists, piano, and strings.

Reception

Reviewing the world premiere, Jeremy Eichler of The Boston Globe praised the concerto, writing:
Reviewing the United Kingdom premiere of the work, Geoffrey Norris of The Daily Telegraph opined, "Both the Cello Concerto and the Horn Concerto identified Carter's innate feel for instrumental timbre, his ability to tap, through his characteristic blend of complexity and clarity, the distinctive personality that an instrument possesses." Fiona Maddocks of The Guardian similarly remarked, "these late works confirmed a new brilliance and drama in Carter's musical voice."