MUSIC OF JAN BACH
Jon Boen, Horn
Dr. Jan Bach is the recipient of countless grants, awards and commissions, achieving international recognition through professional performances of his music, his publications, recordings and mini-residencies, and his biography in such standard reference works as Who's Who in America, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, and the new Groves Dictionary. Six times he has been recommended for the Pulitzer Prize in Music. He counts among his most important teachers such composers as Robert Kelly, Burrill Phillips, Kenneth Gaburo, Jean Berger, Donald Martino, Roberto Gerhard, Thea Musgrave and Aaron Copland. Additional information on Jan Bach's life and works can be found at his website, http://www.janbach.com.
Jonathan (Jon) Boen has served as Principal Horn for the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 1979, a position he secured at the age of 22. In addition, he is Principal Horn for the Grant Park Orchestra, Music of the Baroque and the Chicago Philharmonic. During his distinguished career, Jon has been Guest Principal Horn for the Santa Fe Opera and the Milwaukee Symphony, has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic, and has appeared with a variety of groups, including the Contemporary Chamber Players and Music Now. His website is at http://www.jonboen.com/.
| TRACKS | ||
| 1 | Gala Fanfare | 2:49 |
| 2 - 4 | Concerto for Horn and Orchestra | 40:34 |
| I. Fantasia | 13:32 | |
| II. Elegie e scherzo | 14:24 | |
| III. Rondo | 12:38 | |
| 5 - 8 | French Suite for Unaccompanied Horn | 12:35 |
| I. Fantaisie | 4:20 | |
| II. Courante | 3:01 | |
| III. Sarabande | 2:44 | |
| IV. Fugue | 2:29 | |
| 9 | Helix for Solo Alto Saxophone and Chamber Octet | 13:15 |
| 10 - 13 | Four Two-Bit Contraptions for Flute and Horn | 5:56 |
| I. Second Lieutenant | 1:07 | |
| II. Calliope | 1:43 | |
| III. Gramophone | 1:29 | |
| IV. Pinwheel | 1:37 | |
| Total Playing Time | 75:43 | |
REVIEWS
Boen, Rachleff, and Symphony II (Chicago Philharmonic) were fleet and agile, dashing through Bach's upbeat tangles with sophisticated flair. Boen's tone was clear and mellow, capable of blending elegantly into the orchestral texture as well as striking out in confident solo voice. – Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Sun–Times
The solo horn gets a bravura workout, dancing around the orchestra's darting figuration and pounding, percussion-driven rhythms. The virtuosic Boen and Symphony II made the concerto a real audience-grabber..." – John Von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
