Horn player performs concerto alongside BBC colleagues at the Brangwyn Hall

April 25, 2012 - PRLog -- At this concert Tim Thorpe, who was appointed Principal Horn of the Orchestra in 2005, will perform Strauss’s Horn Concerto No 1 – written when the composer was just 18. A bold, heroic piece, it’s a staple of the horn repertoire that shows off the full range of the instrument.

Soloist Tim Thorpe describes what makes the work so pivotal: “Richard Strauss’s Horn Concerto No 1 is a very important piece in the repertoire. Richard’s father, Franz Strauss, was Principal Horn in Wagner’s orchestra - the Bavarian Court Opera.

This gave Richard intimate knowledge of how the horn worked, and how best to write for the instrument.

“It’s always nerve-racking performing a solo in front of any orchestra, most of all your own!  However, you do get a lot of support from your colleagues and they all want you to do well – and I’m looking forward to performing alongside them in Swansea.”

The concert also features Brahms’s Serenade No 2, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No 1 – two works both completed by the composers at a young age. Shostakovich’s First Symphony was well received on its premiere, with audiences enjoying the juxtaposition between the composer’s playful humour, and dramatic tragedy.

Tickets for this concert, conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero, are priced at £12.50 to £15.50 (discounts available) and are available from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales Audience Line on 0800 052 1812 or Swansea Grand Theatre Box Office on 01792 475715.

For more information on events at the Brangwyn Hall visit http://www.swansea.gov.uk/brangwynhall