Rhapsodie Fantasie Poeme: Music for Horn and Orchestra

Hybrid/SACD - playable on all compact disc players.

An exciting recording of French and Australian works for horn and orchestra featuring one of Australia's most acclaimed soloists, BEN JACKS, Sydney Symphony Principal Horn, performing with ORCHESTRA VICTORIA, and THE QUEENSLAND ORCHESTRA, led by distinguished conductor BARRY TUCKWELL, the greatest horn soloist of his era.

The title track Rhapsodie, by contemporary French composer, Jean-Michel Damase was commissioned by the famous satirist Barry Humphries for BARRY TUCKWELL and was first performed by him as soloist in 1987. This is the world premiere recording of this work.

Included are world premiere recordings of Damase's Horn Concerto and Paul Terracini's superb new orchestral arrangement of Paul Dukas' popular Villanelle, especially commissioned for this CD.

Also included is the well-known Morceau de Concert pour cor et orchestre by Saint-Saëns, the premiere recording of the Phantasy for horn and orchestra by Australian composer, G.W.L. Marshall-Hall (1905), the first Australian horn concerto written, and Koechlin's sensuous Poéme pour cor et orchestre.

Recorded with two of Australia's leading orchestras: Orchestra Victoria and The Queensland Orchestra. It is The Queensland Orchestra's first recording in an ongoing collaboration with Melba.

Coupled with his career as Principal Horn with the Sydney Symphony, BEN JACKS has a busy solo career performing with symphony orchestras from Adelaide to Chicago, solo recitals, and as a chamber musician.