Horn Trio, Op. 40
Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70
Auf dem Strom, D. 943
Tre pezzi in forma di sonata

Rob van de Laar, 29 years old, is the Principal Horn of the Mozarteum Salzburg. As a soloist first disc, he chose the great music of the German Romaticism for Horn. Brahms’ Trio was composed in 1865, during a peaceful summer at Clara Schumann’s house in the Black Forest. The Adagio and Allegro by Schumann was composed in 1849 and is one of a series of miniatures for different solo instruments and piano written by Schumann in Dresden in 1849. Schumann was among the first to explore the expanded possibilities offered by the new valve horn. Schubert wrote his song Auf dem Strom in 1828, the final year of his short life, to a text by Ludwig Rellstab (1799-1860). It was written for a concert at the Vienna Musikverein, marking the first anniversary of the death of Ludwig van Beethoven on 26 March. Schubert, who was a great admirer of Beethoven, saw his opportunity to compose a special song as an ode to the master. He added a dazzling horn part here. The composer Karl Pilss (1902-1979) is perhaps best known among brass players, having written concertos for trumpet, horn and bass trombone, as well as a number of works for brass ensemble. The influences of Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler and his composition teacher Franz Schmidt can be clearly heard in his music.