Picture this: A young cowherd leads his cattle for grazing in the rolling hills that glint under the sun in the European countryside. His grandmother believes it's his love for cows that makes him dedicated to the job
Picture this: A young cowherd leads his cattle for grazing in the rolling hills that glint under the sun in the European countryside. His grandmother believes it's his love for cows that makes him dedicated to the job. Little does she know that the lad climbs the mountains for a rendezvous with his girlfriend, a shepherdess. As the cattle graze, the mountains echo with a love ballad that the couple sings to each other.
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Patricia Rozario
Next week, watch Timothy Jones, one of the foremost horn players in the world, evoke this scene from a pastoral piece by French romantic composer Hector Berlioz, with the lush sound of the French horn. It will be accentuated by the vocal cords of the famed Mumbai-born British soprano Patricia Rozario and tunes by her pianist husband Mark Troop.
Mark Troop
The trio will take The Royal Opera House's stage for The Romance Of The Horn, a 60-minute romantic recital of western classical music. The performance is part of the restored heritage venue's first anniversary celebrations.
Timothy Jones
Salute the horn
"The French horn is often only heard in an orchestra, despite the fact that there is music written specially for it. The idea is to introduce the city to how well the instrument works with piano and vocals," says Rozario, who invited Jones for this programme after performing with him earlier.
Having started playing the instrument when he was 15, Jones, on his third visit to Mumbai, comes armed with over three decades of experience. He is currently the solo horn player of the London Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 1986. "The horn's significance in Western classical music is partly due to its haunting sound quality and unique ability to express a wide range of emotions. This is seen in the way it is used in Hollywood film scores today," says Jones, who has contributed to the music of Titanic, Star Wars and Mission Impossible, among other films.
What's in store?
Along with Berlioz's music, the recital will also feature romantic songs, arias and pastoral compositions of Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti and Austrian composer Franz Schubert, in a mix of languages including Italian, French and German. "We've picked the best compositions from the existing repertoire. Some pieces are schmaltzy while others are pastoral, passionate and evoke memories of nature. And the horn offers magnitude to the music," says Rozario.
Coming together as a trio for the first time, they held rehearsals at The Royal College of Music in London, where Jones and Rozario are faculty members. Troop shares, "Since the horn is a lush sound, unlike a clarinet or flute that is squeaky, I ensure I use piano keys that offer a complementing, fuller sound. My job is to provide a lively background ambience."
Jones, too, has tweaked his style of performance when playing compositions accompanied with a solo voice. "Both need to be balanced," says the artiste, who will also perform the horn solo, Fantasie op 2, by German musician Franz Strauss.
The line-up also features Rozario performing English compositions on contemporary life by Benjamin Britten. "The horn is difficult to play and involves a lot of pressure exerted on the lips. So, we have to make sure Tim gets rest at intervals during the performance."
On: October 31, 7 pm to 8 pm
At: The Royal Opera House, Mama Parmanand Marg. call 23668888
Log on to: insider.in
Entry: '354 onwards
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