Horn Concerto in E

Franz Xaver Pokorny (1729-1794) enjoyed a long and productive career in the service of Count Philipp Karl of Oettingen-Wallerstein and later at the court of the Princes of Thurn und Taxis in Regensburg. He was a prolific composer of symphonies although his music did not circulate as widely as that of many of his contemporaries working in Vienna and Mannheim. One distinctive feature of these works is the elaborate writing for the horns. Pokorny also composed a number of horn concertos and it is probable that these works were played at some stage by his sister Beate, a brilliant horn player who performed with great success at the Concert Spirituel in Paris in 1780. The present work, written in 1755, conforms in broad detail with the established mid-18th-century solo concerto model. Articulated periodic phrases are succeeded by phases of baroque-style fortspinnung; textures, although thin, are more fully scored than in many concertos of the period. The solo part is demanding and calls for both excellent technique and stamina from the player. Pokorny’s consideration for the soloist, however, is manifested in minor details such as the presence of odd notes for the horn in the opening ritornello of each movement to give the player an opportunity to warm up before the first solo entry.