In 2023 the Bayerisches Staatsorchester is marking the five-hundredth anniversary of its formation with a series of releases by a number of its outstanding ensembles,...

In 2023 the Bayerisches Staatsorchester is marking the five-hundredth anniversary of its formation with a series of releases by a number of its outstanding ensembles, all of which document the versatility of the orchestra and of its members. The second ensemble to be showcased by this series are the Munich Opera Horns representing the horn section from the Bayerische Staatsoper.

Ever since they were formed in 2007 the Munich Opera Horns have been keen to revive the tradition that lies behind their ensemble and to go beyond their involvement in opera performances and symphony concerts by developing new and equally valid forms of ensemble playing. They are now launching their debut album on the in-house label, Bayerische Staatsoper Recordings. Their title, Voyager, recalls a space probe and sets the tone for the recording as a whole inasmuch as it takes its listeners on a musical journey from the origins of their instrument to contemporary works for the modern valve horn. The Munich Opera Horns derive their sound from their awareness of their past, while continuing to develop the horn’s expressive potential. They perform not only works that were originally written for their family of instruments but also specially prepared arrangements of classics such as Richard Strauss’s Second Horn Concerto and a paraphrase of his opera Daphne. Furthermore they also present entirely new works that have been composed especially for them. This ensemble is setting new standards with its astonishing virtuosity and delicate sonorities.