This collection is highly enjoyable and something of a bravura feat. Meir Rimon (who sadly died shortly after completing this recording) plays all the horn parts himself, besides conducting the orchestra most impressively! For the two-movement Handel Double Horn Concerto he has effectively interpolated a central Largo. This piece (listed by the Handel Society as Concerto IIb) has a grand dotted tune in the right key that fits quite admirably. The Barsanti Concerto grosso is delightfully fresh, with the horns fanfaring robustly in alternation with the ripieno; the Adagio brings a sweet melody for strings alone that could become a hit, given greater exposure, and the finale is a jolly Minuet.
The invention in Haensel's Concerto is frankly somewhat corny; the writing for the two horns—mostly playing together in thirds—is highly romantic and at times ramshackle, but in its obvious way the music is certainly tuneful, and Rimon and his alter ego enter its world with a genial enthusiasm. The Concert piece by Oscar Franz is subtitled ''In a happy mood'' and the post-Weberian operetta melodic style is infectious. But the real discovery here is the Concerto for four horns by Heinrich Hubler. It opens with the horns distanced, and is written with great romantic confidence. The slow movement uses the growling lower horn register with the facility that could only come from a composer who was himself a virtuoso on the instrument. The swingingly fruity 6/8 finale obviously follows on after Schumann's Konzertstuck (written four years earlier) and is delightfully infectious. It is splendidly played, as is the Schumann, which is very difficult and much more awkwardly written. But its dense texture, high tessitura and leaps hold no fears for Meir Rimon, and his performance combines bravura with invigorating spontaneity. There is no better version in the catalogue, and I include earlier analogue LP versions in that assessment.
The recording was made in the Mann Auditorium, but has none of the dryness one associates with this venue; indeed the horns spread richly in the resonance without losing definition, and the orchestra is appropriately ample in the romantic works, yet the smaller scale of the eighteenth-century music is nicely achieved. At mid-price this is not to be missed by any lover of fine horn playing.'