Horn Call review from October 2005 by John Dressler

Dauprat Duos for Natural Horns,opus 13 vol. 1.

Richard Burdick and Beverly Wilcox, hornists.

Self-produced disc.

Timing: 49:59. Recorded summers of 2003 and 2004.

 

Contents:
Louis Dauprat: Duo No. 1, C Major; Duo No. 2, C Minor; Duo No. 4, A Minor.

 

If you've encountered any of the solo works or the complete method book of Dauprat, you will understand the impression he made upon the early-to-mid-l9th century "French" hornist. It is one thing to play his pieces on the modern valved horn, but to perform them on the natural horn is another situation altogether. Here three of his duos are performed on valveless instruments. Burdick's is an Austro­Bohemian horn made in the 1840s by an unknown maker; Wilcox plays a Finke copy of an 1830s Belgian horn. Both instruments were modified by Lowell Greer and the duo performs at A=430, in mean-tone temperament.

Educationally speaking, this disc reveals what the French players were probably dealing with shortly after Beethoven's death. The two artists here have a terrific feeling of unity of intonation, articulation, phrasing, and color, especially on the closed notes. While the spectrum of dynamics is not particularly wide, the rapid changes between open and closed horn and the many sets of trills is indicative of their command of these instruments. Their understanding of the original-instrument phenomenon is immediately realized by the listener. They've provided us with an intimate and fresh presentation of these works.

Mr. Burdick is currently principal horn of the Regina (Saskatchewan) Symphony; Ms. Wilcox is a former member of the Syracuse (New York) Symphony and is currently a graduate student at the University of California, Davis. J. D.