Schubert Auf dem Strom performed by Richard Lewis, Dennis Brain and Ernest Lush 1954

Schubert, “Auf dem Strom” D.943
Richard Lewis (tenor), Dennis Brain (French horn) , Ernest Lush (piano)
Live performance at Royal Festival Hall, London, 1954
Issued in 1971 by Perennial Longplayer (New York) PER 1007

[@illyrialady]

This recording of the Schubert “Auf dem Strom’’ was taken from a live performance at Royal Festival Hall, London, 1954. Richard Lewis (tenor), Dennis Brain (horn), and Ernest Lush (piano) all do a fabulous job. This performance is so far above any others, including the other ones for which Dennis Brain played the horn part. And of all Dennis Brain’s recordings, this one is my favorite. In the book “Dennis Brain: A Life in Music” by Stephen Gamble and William Lynch, it mentions this 1954 recording as being preserved at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mills Music Library: Blake Collection, and states that this performance is “no longer preserved by the BBC sound archives and not located in any public archive collection, except at this university, on this long-playing record, commercially issued in 1971 by Perennial Longplayer (New York) PER 1007.”

[@wandersong]

I agree! It really captures the spirit of the song.

[@mariarosolemos7468]

sublimely beautiful. thank you

[@davemiller7633]

I couldn't imagine anything more beautiful

[@lowepoon5295]

Excellent, I never hear this lovely performance!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@heimerblaster976]

Brain truly great. I have the pleasure of doing it with a soprano, very nice as well.

[@haedo12]

Magnificent

[@shaunaray322]

Quite remarkable! Thank you!

[@bobphilips5624]

Thank you for posting this

[@gregschulte5401]

no thanks could be adequate for sending this treasure...Greg Schulte

[@illyrialady]

Thank you, Greg. This recording is indeed such a precious treasure.

[@gregschulte5401]

@@illyrialady again, thanks. I am touched to interact with you...we need to "join hands" with sensitive/art loving spirits furthering the substantial loving act of composers and the masterful performers who can approach us so powerfully with this profound vitality in love... for our starving world.

[@TheAlwards]

The horn: One continuous line, with no breath, from 0:17 to 0:48. How?

[@illyrialady]

Good question. Since this was a recording of a public performance, not a studio recording, there has been no touch-up by any engineers. Brain's breath control was extraordinary. I have heard other French Horn players whose breath control rivaled Brain's, and even took lessons from one a long time ago. But what distinguished Dennis Brain from any other horn player, among other things, was his extradinary musicianship when at his best. I never got to hear Brain in person, although I had tickets to a scheduled concert with Brain to appear as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1957. Alas, he died in that awful car crash. There are other recorded instances of Dennis Brain's extraordinary breath control, for example, the recording of Brain playing the first horn part in the Nocturne by Mendelssohn from "The Midsummer Night's Dream" with Paul Kletzki conducting the Philharmonia. That recording is on the Dennis Brain ICON Box Set from EMI Classics. Kletzki conducted the Nocturne at such a slow tempo, which sounds just wonderful if you have a horn player like Dennis Brain !!

[@carlrosman1855]

A textbook example of a tip that applies for all winds/strings/singers: save at the _beginning_, at the end it'll be too late ;)

[@davidfoust9767]

That's only 31 seconds. I'd say sny professional wind player has to be able to do that.

[@bobmilne616]

@@illyrialady He did the same in Mozart 4th horn concerto, 3rd mov't. Thought to be circular breathing. I was a horn player in the late 50s-early 60s. Brain was our idol and remains as such.

[@kenholbrook8802]

Played this with sharon lykens at morehead state in 1966.