Archived under: Horn soloists, Inspiration & The Big Picture | Dennis Brain
Dennis Brain, 1921-57
Fifty years ago tomorrow Dennis Brain, the great British horn virtuoso, died in an automobile accident at the much too young age of 36. A short bio may be found in the IHS website.
For me personally, a recording by Dennis Brain was the very first horn record I ever owned and was certainly a part of what inspired me to play horn at a high level. I still have it in my office to this day, his recording of the Mozart Horn Concertos with Herbert von Karajan conducting. I still remember buying it clearly, it was at MusicLand in the mall in Emporia, KS when I was in early high school. I bet for a lot of horn players today this was the first horn recording they heard or owned. If you have a copy, make this a weekend to listen to it again and to reflect on this classic recording and what this and the other recordings by Dennis Brain meant to you as a hornist.
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