Robert Schumann once said: “The horns are the soul of the orchestra”. And the horn really is more than just an instrument. However, the full dimensions of its immense versatility are revealed only when a horn is not played alone, but when nine horns experiment simultaneously with their sound, exploring their furthest creative limits and communicating with one another.

The “medley” of the most beautiful passages from “Lohengrin” shows all the tonal capabilities of the horn to best advantage. In Piazzolla's tango classic “Oblivion”, the sound of the bandoneon is deliberately imitated, while in Gabrieli's “Canzon”, two quartets mutually pose and answer questions.

In his Bach arrangements, Franz Kanefzky, hornist in the Munich Radio Orchestra, focuses on the subdued, intimate, expressive possibilities of the horn, while with Verdi, the mighty “Aida” horns come into play. The hornists even once remove the bells from their instruments to gain the full effect for Verdi's impressive fanfare sound.

Srnka's “splendid blowing” (as the hornists call it) features quarter tones and all kinds of technical effects.

Arrangements and transcriptions by Franz Kanefzky, Verne Reynolds and Sebastian Sager.