William Horne Chamber Music: Accessible and Appealing

This is the third volume of William Horne's music released on Blue Griffen. This volume features three recent chamber works. 

The newest is the Trio for Flute, Saxophone and Piano. William Horne writes idiomatically for wind instruments. The first movement is marked "Not too fast, amilably." The players communicate that amiability. It's almost like hanging out with a group of old friends. The final movement is marked "playfully," and so it is.

Classical music is (I believe) music of substance. And this work has it. But classical music isn't necessarily "serious music," as Horne's trio proves. Very enjoyable. 

The 2022 Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano is another gem. Horne explores the lyrical possibilities of the instrument without even a hint of jazz. Walter Puyear plays with a warm, mellow tone that's immediately appealing. 

The album leads with Horne's 2021 Sonata for French Horn and Piano. This has a fair amount of chromaticism while remaining tonal. It's an engaging work, and one I hope is part of the hornist's repertoire. 

A fine collection of music. And this is another album I'll add to my refutation list. When someone claims all modern music is ugly, I'll invite them to give this a listen.

William Horne: Chamber Music Volume Three
Sonata for French Horn and Piano, Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano, Trio for Flute, Alto Saxophone, and Piano
Brandon LePage, flute; Mollie Pate, French horn; Xiting Yang, piano
Walter Puyear, alto saxophone; Joonghun Cho, piano
Blue Griffin