Yukihiro Okitsu (b.1955) has long been playing the horn since his school days and is now a member of the Akashi High School OB Band. He has been eager to listen to performances of Dennis Brain increasingly in recent years and collected all obtainable LP and CDs in Japan. He also acquired Stephen Pettitt's book, Dennis Brain, A Biography (Robert Hale, 1989) published in the UK which he translated as a labour of love. He is truly a Dennis Brain enthusiast to the core.
Dennis Brain was a pupil of his father, Aubrey Brain (1893-1955), and made his debut in 1938 at the age of seventeen as second horn to his father, in the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.1 with the Busch Chamber Players at the Queen's Hall in London. In 1939, Dennis enlisted in the Royal Air Force Central band where he soon distinguished himself. During the RAF Band's USA tour of 1944-45, Dennis was sent a letter from the conductor, Leopold Stokowski inviting him to join the Philadelphia Orchestra as their principal horn after the War but he had to decline the offer for he was contracted to the RAF until September 1946. Later, Dennis formed a trio (The Brain-Pougnet-Parry Trio) and cut a brilliant figure as a chamber music player. At the peak of his powers, Dennis was killed in a car accident at the age of 36.
As a comprehensive compilation of Brain's magnificent EMI recordings, Toshiba EMI issued 13 CDs as a box set. However, Japanese record companies never issued Brain's 78 rpm recordings with the National Symphony Orchestra (London) and Boyd Neel Orchestra, etc. during the War and post-War years or later during the LP and CD era.
Yukihiro believes that it is necessary to listen to the early recordings to appreciate the whole aspect of the genius of Dennis Brain the musician. So he started to search old 78 rpm records in Japanese markets but didn't find any. Yukihiro then turned his attention overseas and sought the support of horn societies in various countries. A Danish collector's widow sent him an answer. She asked an engineer to transfer the music on 78 rpm records to CD-ROM and sent it to Yukihiro. But, alas, some of the music lost its original power owing to the excessive noise reduction.
Yukihiro said "It is very hard to send fragile 78 rpm records by air mail. So I asked my friend, who was to visit Europe by chance, to call at the widow's house and carry back the records to Japan as hand luggage!"
Yukihiro asked most of the major record companies and music shops to make a CD from the 78 rpm records carried back safely from Denmark. None of them, however, undertook the proposal because of the mixed labels and the unpopularity of classical music in today's market. Finally, he decided to produce the CD at his own expense.
As a consequence of his enthusiasm, volunteers offered to join with his project. For example, the Royal Air Force band and International Horn Society agreed to tender materials and photographs. Naoto Kinoshita (Nagano), who is an enthusiast of Salle des Traditions de la Garde Republicaine (Paris), transferred the music from 78 rpm records to digital media. Jun Yamada (Yokohama), who translated Stephen Pettitt's Dennis Brain A Biography, wrote his reminiscences for the CD booklet.
Thus the CD entitled, "A Resurrection of Dennis Brain" was born. It includes Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.1 and Brahms's Four Part Songs Op.17 for female voices, two horns and harp; Handel's Overture in C Major for two clarinets and horn; Weber's Der Freischutz and Oberon Overtures, and Thomas's Mignon Overture. Dennis Brain was twenty-two to twenty-eight years of age when these were recorded.
Although each one is not a show piece like a concerto, all items are valuable examples of the orchestral and chamber repertoire. Yukihiro insists upon one more point about the CD. Dennis Brain played a French type of horn called a Raoux in his early career. These were, so to speak, the last Raoux days, and the items were recorded not many years before he finally changed his Raoux to a German type B flat Alexander horn, which is used generally to this day.
Almost all of his recordings were played with the German type of instrument. Yukihiro remarks, "I feel a depth of the old style horn from the ever-changing qualities of Dennis's Raoux." Yukihiro recommends the new CD. The price of the CD "A Resurrection of Dennis Brain" is 1,980 yen. Please ask for details from Yukihiro.
S.G.