Sarah Willis's day job is as a member of the horn section of the Berlin Philharmonic. This is a fun recording which will have your toes tapping. She later joined the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she studied with Anthony Halstead and Jeff Bryant. Sarah Willis's day job is as a member of the horn section of the Berlin Philharmonic. Jacqueline du Pré. Radovan Vlatković . Immediately after my audition for the Berlin Phil someone came up to me and said, ‘You're the first female in the brass.’ I hadn’t even thought about it up until then; all I wanted was to get in. The earliest known Englishwoman to play the horn was a Miss Cann, who also played the flute and died in Paris at the age of 19. Typically the corners of the lips are down as well (think of the funny pictures I have online of the low horn face, or sturgeon face). By these standards, there is no debate whatsoever about Sarah Willis acheiving that status. That she only just retired from that position last May doesn't diminish her reputation as one of the most glorious performers on that instrument anywhere on earth! In the third round I was asked to play the Shostakovich 5 low excerpt again "this time louder, please". Join Sarah Willis, first female member of the Berlin Philharmonic’s brass section and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s International Brass Chair, in a day of French Horn immersion. Gaspare Vittorio Buonomano (clarinet II), Sarah Willis (horn), Henning Trog (bassoon II) Scharoun Ensemble Berlin (Members of the Berlin Philharmonic) [The Sextet] sets off with a fresh tempo and good balance within an acoustic that is a little resonant. to call Julie Landsman the "most celebrated female horn player in the world" is quite an exaggeration considering other musicians of her generation Norweigan Froydis Ree Wekere, German Marie Luise Neunecker, American Gail Williams, among others, who all have much more active careers as soloists, recording artists, and teachers. How about Gail Williams? Cecilia Bartoli. The nicest horn player I have ever known! Musician/Band. Sarah Willis with Havana Lyceum Orchestra/Jose Antonio Mendez Padron Mozart Y Mambo (Alpha-Classics) Sarah Willis has been a horn player with the Berlin Philharmonic since 2001. Simply enter your email address in the box below, Sarah Willis: 'The first and only woman to join the brass section of the world's most celebrated and widely followed orchestra', Brahms turned to the instrument for the purposes of lamentation. It’s wittily arranged by Joshua Davis and Cuban saxophonist Yuniet Lombida Prieto. Actually, I'm pretty sure that Mr. Rees is very aware of Ms. Landsman, if you've read his book "A Devil to Play" he's pretty much a french horn "nut". Thank goodness I had practised it louder and still had a bit of forte in reserve! When Norbert Hauptmann retired, I took over the job of 2nd F tuba. Discover releases, reviews, credits, songs, and more about Sarah Willis - Mozart Y Mambo at Discogs. One of them, Madame Adélaïde, was a keen horn player. I love being the bass of a chord and am always happy when I see Bruckner on the schedule. Félix Dervaux. She is an outstanding interviewer. Classical music; Berlin Philharmonic; Buzz; Share this article. I usually have to do some breathing exercises before... those ends of the 2nd movements need a lot of air!! Maybe because Sarah is closer to his side of the pond? My father said, ‘Absolutely not, they’re too expensive and I'd always have to carry it.’ The teacher at school said, ‘Well we have a horn, but that’s not for you because that’s something for the boys.’ So I said I wanted to play that.”. In these numbers, Sarah plays with a terrific salsa band that call themselves Sarahbanda. Sarah Willis is a tireless ambassador for her instrument, the horn, which she champions around the world. Original Mozart rarities also grace the album, incomplete movements of two early horn concertos, edited and completed by scholar musician Robert Levin. ELF. Pages Liked by This Page. Recommended. “The horn is for boys”, Sarah Willis' schoolteacher told her, and so he suggested that she learn the flute or the oboe. When I was at Music College, low horn seemed to be for the players who couldn't get the high notes. The Brahms trio has a particular place in the composer’s emotional biography. . Featuring new works by Richard Bissill, David Riniker, Klaus Wallendorf and Mason Bates for horn and Piano, horn duet and horn piano and violin trio, this is an excellent addition to any horn players collection. We heard Sarah Willis and the Havana Horns -- this from Sarah's new album, called “Mozart y Mambo.” James: It's time to get back to the conversation I had yesterday with Sarah Willis, a member of the horn section of the Berlin Philharmonic for the past 19 years. Read Graham Rickson’s rave review on theartsdesk here. So recalled Madame Campan, Marie Antoinette’s first lady of the bedchamber, in a memoir written long after the Revolution: “Madame Adélaïde, in particular, had a most insatiable desire to learn; she was taught to play upon all instruments, from the horn (will it be believed!) Sarah´s Horn Hangouts are up-close and personal interviews with well known musicians with live interaction from the viewers. Her interview of Christian Thieleman was tremendous. HAIM. Thanks so much for you talent and musicianship.BRAVO! The Horns of the Berlin Philharmonic perform Rossini's "La Danza", including a low horn solo from Sarah Willis “There are so many wonderful pieces for the horn”, she says, “but somehow I ended up being an orchestral player specialising in the low range, so one gets out of the habit of playing solos. Performing Arts. There are a number of great examples out there, David Griffin, Sarah Willis, me :), just to name a few! the Low Horn Hangout with Denise Tryon & David Griffin. It's not as if she is a renowned soloist. You can watch whole, or parts, of every concert from the BPO since 2009 (the newest ones live, before they're archived). CPO 2012 catalogue & … .). It’s wonderfully infectious – watch below. A concert was announced in the Dublin Mercury in 1742, to be given by “Mr Charles, the Hungarian, Master of the French Horn.” His repertoire included horn solos and horn duets, but on those occasions when he was performing a horn trio, he called on the service of his wife, whose name has not come down to us. And then there's the late Ethel Merker, with her own Holton model named after her! Sarah Willis. There is an even earlier instance. ... My job in the Berlin Phil is low horn, not principal horn, so to be honest, if solos come up in the orchestra, they are usually cause for concern as we low horn players don't have solos so often! A unique opportunity to listen to these four demonstrate and talk about etudes, why to play them, what to play and why they are so important as a part of your horn practice. [1] She started playing the French horn at age 14, and attended the Royal College of Music Junior Department. This website uses cookies to enhance user experience, including login status. The little tidbits she came armed with brought out many responses from the maestro in a very enjoyable conversation. This is the third etude book for horn written by me, which was fun to do, but also a personal challenge as during the whole process I have been fighting against my worst nightmare. After studying for three years on the Performer's Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Sarah continued her … Obviously, the writer didn't take the time to find out that for the last 20 something years Julie Landsman, Principal Horn of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York, has been the most celebrated female horn player in the world. Mozart y Mambo, her new album for Alpha Classics, grew out of the friendships she made there, and the result? Sarah Willis, the first female brass player in the Berlin Philharmonic, an incredible low horn player, and the host of several music- and horn-related TV and internet shows, has done an incredible experiment on what goes on inside the mouth while playing horn by playing a specially-made horn inside an MRI machine!. She has recorded a CD of chamber music. Absolutely marvelous french hornist in every respect. A new recording by Sarah Willis is a welcome occasion. … So for me to stand up and play a solo takes a lot of preparation - physically and mentally - and I always end up doubting myself, which is tiring and annoying. By using the site you are accepting the use of cookies. All rather terrifying and funnily enough, I felt … Nice pic Sarah. No woman has ever achieved a higher profile on the French horn than Sarah Willis. (And good nerves... unfortunately I never know in advance whether it's going to be a good nerve day or a bad one...but that's life as a horn player, isn't it? The air, facial muscles and jaw work very differently in the low compared to the upper register. This release includes a digital booklet Add download to basket. “Being the only woman is of course an honour”, she says, “but has never been a big deal for me. Release Date: 30th Apr 2012; Catalogue No: 7777142; Label: CPO; Length: 53 minutes; Downloads What are FLAC and MP3? I'm with you, Sam, we've got some pretty phenomenal women players here in the states. Madame Campan’s incredulity at the idea of a female horn player – “will it be believed!” – echoed down one century and some way into the next. Horn player Sarah Willis talks about her new cross-cultural album that explores connections between Mozart and the music of Cuba, and her initiative to support Cuban musicians. Musician. Today exactly one year ago was one of the most memor... able concerts of my life - the Mozart y Mambo concert with the Orquesta del Lyceum de La Habana conducted by Pepe Mendez, the Havana Horns and the Sarahbanda. Musician/Band. Nowadays women are sprinkled across several major British orchestras, including Angela Barnes in the LSO, and there are as many female as male students in the music colleges. We just decided to record it for ourselves.”. Artist. It will be no surprise if this Saturday the BBC cameras as usual pick her out from row upon row of Teutonic males in the second of the Berlin Philharmonic’s two Prom 2010 appearances. She also conducts some of the interviews that accompany many of the digital concerts. If this has left you hankering for more Cuban Mozart, it’s good news. Berlin Philharmonic Horn Player Sarah Willis Photo courtesy Peter Adamik. But she is the first and only woman to join the brass section of the world's most celebrated and widely followed orchestra. ‘Rondo alla Mambo’, arranged by Joshua Davis and Yuniet Lombida Prieto, is the first single from Willis’ album … Mozart y Mambo, her new album for Alpha Classics, grew out of the friendships she made there, and the result? When I got my job at Berlin it was a low horn job so I really did my best to beef up my lower range, but it wasn’t my intention to become a low horn player; I just wanted to be the best I could and get the best job I could. Sarah Willis That remark served as a challenge to Sarah Willis, a US-born Brit who grew up in Tokyo, Boston, Moscow and who had her first french horn lessons at the age of 14 at school in England. In this country both Enid Roper and Livia Gollancz were in the Halle horn section. Widely-known for her work with the Berliner Philharmoniker and her extensive efforts to raise the profile of the French horn with a wider audience online, Sarah Willis has been exploring new musical paths in Cuba in an imaginative partnership with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra. There´s a bit of everything in it which a horn player should be able to do - slurring, tonguing, phrasing, extreme loud and soft dynamics etc. Piano, Horn and... Flute? Sarah Willis is a British French horn player. In 2001, Sarah Willis joined the Berlin Philharmonic, becoming the first female member of the brass section. Sarah Willis, star horn player and presenter of DW's "Sarah's Music," explains what makes Kirill the right choice, and why she's looking Forward to working with him. I often hear people attempting to play in the low register with a more strident tone, and typically these same people have more difficulty playing on the … The death of his mother in 1865 inspired two works: A German Requiem, and the inexpressibly mournful horn trio. Brahms duly turned to the instrument for the purposes of lamentation. by Sarah Willis. Stefan Dohr cooks up a storm in his kitchen, helped by his trusty assistant Sarah and accompanied by viewers around the world who were busy cooking with him, commenting, drinking, sharing bad jokes, enjoying the Lucky shots and laughing all together. In an attempt to bridge this musical chasm, French-horn virtuoso Sarah Willis brings together her musical passions while working hard to promote the young musicians of the Havana Lyceum Orchestra and conductor José Antonio Méndez Padrón. 4,744 talking about this. View … Download from $10.00. So get out there and practise your low horn! 31K likes. Thank goodness I had practised it louder and still had a bit of forte in reserve! András Schiff, Wigmore Hall review - Bach in isolation, Gabrieli Consort, McCreesh online review - joyous Bach Christmas Oratorio, Vienna New Year’s Day Concert, BBC Two/Radio 3 review - noble integrity and missionary zeal, Classical CDs Weekly: Sibelius, Roger Désormière, George Szell, Bevan, LPO, Jurowski, RFH online review – never-ending stories, 'Having to establish a real conversation with the audience is a good challenge': Raffaello Morales on a possible musical future, Voces8 LIVE from London online review part 2 – an assortment box of Christmas choral treats, Stile Antico, The Cardinall's Musick, Wigmore Hall online review – lightening our darkness, Dame Fanny Waterman (1920-2020) - some recollections, with love and affection. For those of us who follow the horn world, Willis’s emergence as a soloist is a surprising development. I recently saw an anon asking about one of the most infamous low horn excerpts in the repertoire: Shosty 5. She is a member of the Berlin Philharmonic, and is a presenter of TV and online programs about classical music. Complete your Sarah Willis collection. She has played in the Berlin Phil's wind ensembles before, and its horn ensembles - most notably on Opera!, a CD of operatic pieces recorded by the Berlin Philharmonic horn section in 2007 (pictured right). All rather terrifying and funnily enough, I felt more under pressure to play well so as to show my new orchestra they hadn't made a mistake by giving me tenure than I had during the trial! In the low, the jaw is more forward and a little (sometimes very little) down. Sarah Willis is a tireless ambassador for her instrument, the French horn, which she champions around the world. Go girl!!! Add comment. The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. The sound needs to be round and warm, with or without brassiness. In the idealised sketch pictured above by Bigari, of a muse with hunting horn, I believe the subject is indeed holding the horn correctly-this may have been a time before hand in bell was common, and it is also not common to have the hand in the bell while riding to hounds... Ms Willis you make the horn sing.We here in Pensacola Florida love your playing.Recently heard the Farewell to Red Castle...........Superb! I turned up an idealised sketch by Vittorio Maria Bigari of an idealised female player in the robes of a muse, parping on a hunting horn (and holding it incorrectly, pictured right). Musician. To add to the fantastic advice, I was simply going to recommend a title, but instead decided for a full on post about the values of this book: Sarah Willis. Musician. I am so happy this has changed and to be part of the new Low Horn Movement... because playing low horn is so important: for a section and also for us as horn players- we all need a good low range to stabilise our playing! A scary concert. 3,795 talking about this. A Concert Spirituel in the same city in 1780 featured a Mademoiselle Beate Pokorny on horn. Your name … the stage of the big hall in the Philharmonie in Berlin. The first Beethoven 9 with Simon Rattle. “I then went on to study with Tony at the Guildhall.” Girls didn't play the horn and had to be assertive even to be allowed to take it up in the first place. Horn Hangouts. © Royal Academy of Music, March 2013 Sarah Willis, First Lady of the French Horn |, I was afraid I would start to doubt my interpretation if I listened to the many recordings, Classical CDs Weekly: Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Berlin Philharmonic Horn Quartet. The CD also features Cordelia Höfer on piano and Kotowa Machida on violin. Cellists. But Brahms really knew how to write for the horn and manages to show the horn at its best.” Willis first heard the piece at 15 at school in Esher in Surrey, where the visiting teacher was Tony Halstead, the celebrated British natural horn player, also a phenomenal player in the lower range. Horn player Sarah Willis has been a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker since 2001 and is also known to audiences as a charming and humorous presenter of children’s concerts. I hadn’t quite realized just how many Horn Hangouts and Sarah’s Music episodes there were to organize so it’s taken longer than I realized to get the new website up and running – but it’s been great fun to have the chance to revisit the wonderful times I’ve had. This book is dedicated to Sarah Willis for all her work as a low horn player and for being such a big inspiration for all hornists. As a horn player, I enjoyed listening to Sarah Willis perform. is available on Musik Alexander, the bespoke label of Gebr. Why? One morning soon after she died her son was walking in the Black Forest “and as I came to this spot”, he wrote in a letter, “the sun shone out and the subject immediately suggested itself”. The award … Sarah Willis (horn) Harold Madrigal Frías (trumpet); Yuniet Lombida Prieto (saxophone); Jorge Aragón (piano) Havana Lyceum Orchestra/José Antonio Méndez Padrón Havana Horns The Sarahbanda rec. no Sarah Willis in the picture , last saturdaynight (prom with Berlin Philharmonic). But the BBC did it during the concert of the World Orchestra for Peace with Gergiev (Mahler 4 & 5) See on You Tube: Gergiev proms. A Horn Hangout not to be missed along with the Cinematic Etude at the bottom – I wish I was different. Sarah Willis also chose the third movement of Mozart’s Third Horn Concerto to re-accent into a mambo, because she says the music is inherently dancy. Aleksey Igudesman. London Brass at Christmas 18.12.2020. 2020 Preview Editors’ Notes It’s a daring musician who pairs Mozart with Cuban popular dance music. Of the many recordings available, the ones that stand out are (of course) by Dennis Brain, also Wolfgang Tomboeck on the Vienna Philharmonic’s single F pumpenhorn and, on the valveless natural horn, the American soloist Lowell Greer. Daniel Hope. ", Overleaf: The Berlin Philharmonic horn section in Mahler 7. Download from $11.00 Offer, Beethoven: Septet & Sextet. In recent years she has also become a roving ambassador for the instrument and a familiar face presenting and interviewing on the Berlin Phil's Digital Concert Hall. My audition . Musician/Band. But she is the first and only woman to join the brass section of the world's most celebrated and widely followed orchestra. Sarah Willis. He does seem to be more excited about Sarah Willis, though, than American players like Julie Landsman or Jennifer Montone, Principal Horn in Philadelphia. It's not as if she is a renowned soloist. 3. In this case, Mr. Rees was quite careful to do so up-front: She has acheived the highest profile for a woman hornist as "she is the first and only woman to join the brass section of the world's most celebrated and widely followed orchestra." Share. Hornisten der Berliner … When researching a book on the French horn I discovered that the female horn player goes back slightly further than musical history would suggest. I sit next to a lot of solo horns who ' ve. 52K likes. She also regularly appears in the Digital Concert Hall as an interviewer of the Philharmoniker’s guest soloists and conductors. But it went well, and I remember being so grateful at the end of the 3rd movement that Beethoven had written us low horns such a wonderful solo. They can also play so powerfully that I never have to worry about drowning them out. That said, I'm going to pick up Sarah's cd if I can find it in the States, as she is an amazing player, and probably one of the best low hornists I've ever heard (look for the Rossini with the Berlin section on YouTube. 5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks Sarah Willis Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2015 Incredible playing as usual.Sarah's tone and control at all times proves the mark of the professorial Horn player.This cd is put together with all top notch players an is a must for anyone interested in Horn … For all those carping about who is the best, when making such a claim, it's always important to define one's terms. I make it a point of pride to keep my high range up; I play in the Berlin Philharmonic Brass Ensemble where I’m actually the only horn player, which means hardly anyone will hear me because … 34.7k Followers, 284 Following, 239 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sarah Willis (@hornsarahberlin) We all have solo CDs out, which is a great way to really hear the sound we get down there. Trio! 52 tusind Synes godt om. September 14, 2020. Official Facebook page of Sarah Willis - French Horn with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and media presenter. Official Facebook page of Sarah Willis - French Horn with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and media presenter. No woman has ever achieved a higher profile on the French horn than Sarah Willis. Horn Discoveries | After the enormous success of Mozart y Mambo (ALPHA578) which went straight to Number 1 in Germany on release in 2020, Alpha has decided :-). In the third round I was asked to play the Shostakovich 5 low excerpt again "this time louder, please". “At school they said, ‘We’ve got a flute or a clarinet, and we’ve got a harp.' Horn superstars Gail Williams, Radovan Vlatković and Stefan Dohr join Sarah on the Horn Hangouts and bring along their favourite etudes. Review. How time flies! Arts & Entertainment. Why? 18 mars 2013 - Sarah Willis, Low Horn with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, in a masterclass that was streamed live online. Choose a Horn Hangout with… Click here to support the Horn Hangouts! Her technique is brilliant and low range, particularly awesome. Brass of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. As well as her work with the orchestra that takes her all over the world, she has recorded various acclaimed CDs including the Brahms Horn Trio, the Rosetti Double Horn Concertos as well as the much celebrated CDs, Opera! All cheerleading aside, Sarah Willis' triumph in the cultural environs of the Berlin Philharmonic is inspiring to all women and men who aspire to musical excellence. Willis was careful to give them a wide berth. The full video (available here – it’s only 12 minutes, and you can skip to about 5:30 … Sarah Willis, the first female brass player of the Berlin Philharmonic, is a musician after my own heart—she loves to dance. In France the horn also made its way into the royal household at Versailles. SARAH WILLIS: Hi, I'm Sarah Willis and I'm standing on. Klaus Wallendorf (horn) & Sarah Willis (horn), Sarah Willis (horn), Klaus Wallendorf (horn) Kurpfaelzisches Kammerorchester, Johannes Moesus. It’s a fresh new salsa for the sound of the French horn and classical music. The combination of horn, violin and piano had never been used before so it was also an important step for our horn repertoire.”. No one is interested that my lungs aren’t as big. Official Facebook page of Sarah Willis - French Horn with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and media presenter. In 2010 she released her first solo recording, of the Brahms trio for horn, violin and piano. If you have never joined in live, do - you'll love it! I recently saw an anon asking about one of the most infamous low horn excerpts in the repertoire: Shosty 5. … It is the most substantial piece of chamber music written for the horn in the 19th century. Alexander of Mainz who have been supplying horns to the Berlin Phil since time immemorial. A unique and fun insight into the world of these famous musicians and teachers. Welcome to my newly refurbished website! The instrument has few enough male soloists making a career in Europe or America, but female soloists have historically been thin on the ground. It features three pieces for horn, violin and piano: Brahms’s incomparable trio; a transcription of Mozart’s quintet for horn, violin, two violas and cello – known as “das Leitgebische” in honour of Josef Leutgeb, the horn player for whom Mozart would later write the four concertos; and a playful bauble by Duvernoy. Female horn players fell out of sight until the 1940s, when Helen Kotas Hirsch was briefly principal at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. www.sarah-willis.com ”My dream came true in September 2001 when I joined the Berlin Philharmonic as a horn player – and as the orchestra’s first-ever female brass player!“ “The horn is for boys”, Sarah Willis' schoolteacher told her, and so he suggested that she learn the flute or the oboe. Sarah Willis, the first female brass player in the Berlin Philharmonic, an incredible low horn player, and the host of several music- and horn-related TV and internet shows, has done an incredible experiment on what goes on inside the mouth while playing horn by playing a specially-made horn inside an MRI machine!. She was already used to boldly going where no woman had gone before, being the first person of either gender to get an orchestral job on the other side of the newly breached Berlin Wall in the pit of the Staatsoper (where of course she was also the only woman). That remark served as a challenge to the US-born Brit, who grew up in Tokyo, Boston, Moscow and London and had her first horn lessons at the age of 14. 5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks Sarah Willis Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2015 Incredible playing as usual.Sarah's tone and control at all times proves the mark of the professorial Horn player.This cd is put together with all top notch players an is a must for anyone interested in Horn music and flawless performance . I don’t know about stamping my own signature on it. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. But if they go well then they are fun. I was afraid I would start to doubt my interpretation if I listened to the many recordings“It is the trio every horn player wants to and should play. Daniel Barenboim. Marie Antoinette had three unprepossessing sisters-in-law, all of them passionate about music. A concert in Milan in 1827 featured “for the first time on the French horn a Tyrolese air with variations” performed by one Madame Vansuest. It’s a fresh new salsa for the sound of the … Recording studio images by Monika Rittershaus. It will be no surprise if this Saturday the BBC cameras as usual pick her out from row upon row of Teutonic males in the second of the Berlin Philharmonic’s two Prom 2010 appearances. The death of his mother inspired A German Requiem and the inexpressibly mournful horn trio. He once referred to it as a “brass viola”. Thanks Jasper for this introduction to a hornist who is too little known on the American side of the pond. Sarah Willis, Kotowa Machida, Philip Mayers, Klaus Wallendorf. Why has it taken her so long to step into the limelight? No mouthpieces, embouchures, high or low notes allowed - tonight´s live Horn Hangout is all about cooking!