R. Strauss: Horn Concerto | Tapiola Sinfonietta, Emilia Hoving & Katy Woolley 

truly...the ensemble is kind of a mess....the conductor does not have control...

And so is Katy!

Denis Brain & Barry Tuckwell not to mention Lar Stransky do not suck; not to mention countless others. Admitted Bloom’s is beautiful, as is Katey’s.

Simon Twigge - Not that it makes me an authority but I played horn for almost 30 years starting in the late 50s in southern California. My teachers included Fred Fox and Vince De Rosa and my first ever horn recording was Myron Bloom’s Strauss 1 so, naturally, I was drawn to the Conn 8D sound, its warm sound and balanced overtones. In my opinion and to my taste only, while all of the players I’ve heard have great technique, they are lacking in either their sound or the musicality exhibited by Myron Bloom and Katy Woolley. To me, Dennis Brain’s sound is too “thin”. I’ve never cared for Barry Tuckwell’s playing - too much bombast. It’s also like he feels he has to show how loud and fast he can play even when the music doesn’t really call for it. Lars Stansky’s sound has too many high overtones. Again, I don’t consider myself an authority and am just expressing my opinions and tastes.

Stewart Smith maybe you could have said that this was purely a matter of your own personal taste rather that using such a vulgar pronouncement that everyone else sucks? The fact that you only comment on Brain’s tone as thin and seem to be obvious to unsurpassed artistry speaks for itself. I think Bloom’s recording is also exceptionally beautiful because of his artistry not because of the instrument he plays, for me the same can be said for countless others not just the people I’ve mentioned in my initial reply to you.

@@simontwigge4176 1. If you re-read my original comment you will see that the 11th through 17th words are, and I quote, “in my opinion and to my taste.” That was intended to make it clear that my remarks were to be taken as in my opinion and to my taste. Sorry if I didn’t make that clear enough! 2. I can think of many other words besides “sucks” that would more rightly qualify as vulgar but maybe it’s just a cultural thing. 3. The fact that you infer from my statement about Brain’s tone that I am oblivious to his unsurpassed artistry speaks for itself. (I wore the grooves out listening to my record of him doing the Mozarts.) 4. That I wrote of my background, my teachers, and the Conn 8D was merely to establish how my preference for a particular horn sound came about not to imply that what instrument a performer uses matters to me. (Myron Bloom, yes, did use a Conn 8D but Katy Woolley played an Alex 103 on the recordings). I agree with you that there are numerous marvelous players in the world today using many different instruments. Some are exemplary and some are merely adequate (in my opinion and to my taste) and, unlike many, I don’t think there is one “greatest”.

Was there really any need to make such a disparaging remark about every other recording by all the other fantastic soloists? I don’t think Myron Bloom nor Katey Woolley would … frankly I don’t think any genuine musician would write off every other recording of this work.