Anyone who loves Brahms even a little bit will know what wonderful roles he gave to the horn, not least the opening of Piano Concerto No 2. But this programme from Alec Frank-Gemmill is an altogether different and intriguing proposition – pairing Brahms’s Horn Trio alongside horn transcriptions of two further chamber works Brahms originally penned for violin and cello, respectively his ‘FAE’ Sonata Scherzo and the Cello Sonata No 1 in E minor. What’s more, there’s a period-performance flavour to the whole, with Frank-Gemmill performing the Trio on the same instrument upon which Aubrey Brain recorded it in 1933 – originally built as a natural horn although later fitted with a detachable valveblock, meaning it has the softer, plumper, natural tone Brahms specifically stipulated for this work – and with Benjamin Marquise Gilmore’s 1921 violin strung with a mixture of wound and plain gut.

In the Trio, the balance of instruments is very satisfying, as is the overall sound: attractively nimble, light and bright, although for me it doesn’t quite give Teunis van der Zwart, Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov (Harmonia Mundi, A/08) a run for their money, especially in the Scherzo and the finale, where the latter ensemble’s virtuosity comes with a sparkle and exuberant sniff of danger that’s hard to top.

On to the transcriptions, though, and I’m thoroughly persuaded by Grimwood’s G minor reworking of the cello sonata. For starters, the sombre first theme translates into the horn’s autumnal tones like a dream. Then I’m also wondering how I never heard horn calls in the writing before, and Frank-Gemmill’s intelligent shaping and articulation all contribute to its success.

I’m less convinced by Simon Smith’s programme-opening ‘FAE’ transcription, despite Frank-Gemmill describing it as presenting fewest problems for the arranger, thanks to a tessitura that worked without transposition, and a violin part that clearly conjures up horn calls – fitting perfectly with its pounding 6/8 hunting rhythm. To my ears, those opening staccato Gs are too low and thus lose power, while the following octave leaps don’t translate naturally, although I can’t fail to admire the technique with which they’re dispatched here. Perhaps listen and draw your own conclusions; certainly the E minor Sonata is very much worth a listen.