On the occasion of the 150th birthday of Richard Strauss, Pan Classics is issuing a recording with both of his Horn Concertos as well as the frst Horn Concerto by his father, Franz Strauss. The performers are the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester) under the direction of Sebastian Weigle, with the solo part played by Samuel Seidenberg, solo horn player of the Frankfurt RSO and one of the outstanding horn players of our time.

Franz Strauss (1822-1905), highly esteemed as a musician by Richard Wagner and Hans von Bülow, wrote his Horn Concerto, Op.8 more or less tailor-made for himself – it is notable for its tongue-breaking difficulty and runs that are complicated to articulate, making it a work that can only be managed by a true horn virtuoso.

The 18-year-old Richard Strauss (1864-1949) audibly orientated himself on his father's composition when he wrote his First Horn Concerto, Op.11. This work is still completely in the romantic tradition and is considered successful proof of a youthful talent with its catchy tone and the signal motifs typical of horn writing.

Sixty years later, in 1942, Strauss composed his Horn Concerto No.2 in E-flat major. This work is frequently regarded as a review of a highly successful musical life; in contrast to his youthful First Horn Concerto, it is marked by the maturity of age. Whilst the Second World War was raging about him, Strauss retreated and composed a masterwork that is by turns playful and lyrical. It gives no indication of the trials and tribulations of the time during which it was composed.