J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd., London 1968
The well-deserved success of his [Sir Thomas Beecham's] fabulous protégé, Dennis Brain, also irked Beecham. When the time came for him to leave us for the greater financial security of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Beecham moaned that "people come to concerts to see me, not just a clever horn player". But although Dennis left the R.P.O. in 1952* he frequently came in again afterwards for our gramophone sessions - that is, until he died in his motor-car. Sir Thomas of course mourned him as much as anyone, and we all felt that he came to earth just to show us that it could be done - and then he was spirited away.
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* Actually the official date was April 7 1954, according to Stephen J Pettitt (Dennis Brain, 1989, 128) but Dennis Brain took part in concerts as well as recording sessions after that date and as late as 1956, although Gerald Jackson probably exaggerates the extent to which Dennis Brain was able to be present. Hearing the many recordings with the RPO under Beecham from 1954 to 1957, it is absolutely clear that the horn playing, excellent though it is, does not (generally speaking) have Dennis Brain. [Stephen J Gamble] |
Beethoven Symphony No.6 in F major (Pastoral) Symphony No.8 in F major Berlioz Royal Hunt and Storm (The Trojans) Overture - The Corsair Overture - King Lear Trojan March (The Trojans) Te Deum Bizet Suite, The Fair Maid of Perth Chabrier Espana Joyeuse Marche Delius Dance Rhapsody No.1 Brigg Fair On Hearing the first Cuckoo in Spring Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Summer Night on the River Marche Caprice Over the Hills and Far Away Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Dvorak Slavonic Rhapsody No.3 Elgar Concerto for Cello and Orchestra Handel Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (arr. Beecham) Suite - The Faithful Shepherd Anthem Zadok the Priest. Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra. Haydn Symphony No.93 in D major Symphony No.102 in B flat major Concertante for Violin, Cello, Oboe, Bassoon and Orchestra (Sinfonia) Massenet The Last Sleep of the Virgin Mendelssohn Overture - Fingal's Cave Mozart Symphony No.31 in D major (Paris) Symphony No.38 in D major (Prague) Symphony No.40 in G minor Symphony No.41 in C major (Jupiter) Concerto No.19 for Piano and Orchestra in F major Concerto for Horn and Orchestra Concertante for Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn and Orchestra (Sinfonia) Concerto for Flute and Orchestra Rossini Overture La Scala di Seta Overture Il Cambiale di Matrimonio Sibelius Karelia March Tapiola Symphony No.7 in C major Historic Scenes Johann Strauss Waltz, Morning Papers Richard Strauss Don Quixhote Der Feuersnot (Finale) Dance of the Seven Veils (Salome) Suite - Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 in F minor Von Suppé Overture - Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna Wagner Overture - The Flying Dutchman Overture - Die Meistersinger Weber Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra Vaughan Williams In the Fen Country
Dennis Brain (Principal)
I Beers
D Mason
F Probyn
S Coulston
J Brown
Dennis Brain (Principal)
I Beers
A Civil
A Woodburn
F Probyn
J Smith
W TylerGerald Jackson recalled concerts during his years as the principal flautist of the BBC Theatre Orchestra. Speaking of concerts entitled "Monday Night at Seven", produced by Harry S Pepper and John Watt, he states:
When we played for that Monday evening entertainment - an inspired hotch-potch - it was always tempting to include something of real musical merit, and I cannot forget one early visitor. It was a boy brought along by Aubrey Brain, principal horn of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He played a rondo from a Mozart horn concerto with staggering technique and style and provided our first encounter with the player whom Beecham called "Siegfried", and whom we still mourn as Dennis Brain.