Brahms: Chamber Music Alec Frank-Gemmill, Daniel Grimwood, Benjamin Marquise Gilmore

• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897):
• 1 F-A-E Sonata: III. Scherzo in C Minor, WoO 2 (Transcr. S. Smith for Horn & Piano) 05:38
• Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38 (Arr. D. Grimwood for Horn & Piano):
• 2 Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38 (Arr. D. Grimwood for Horn & Piano): I. Allegro ma non troppo 13:57
• 3 Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38 (Arr. D. Grimwood for Horn & Piano): II. Allegretto quasi menuetto 05:26
• 4 Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38 (Arr. D. Grimwood for Horn & Piano): III. Allegro 06:37
• Horn Trio in E-Flat Major, Op. 40:
• 5 Horn Trio in E-Flat Major, Op. 40: I. Andante 07:21
• 6 Horn Trio in E-Flat Major, Op. 40: II. Scherzo. Allegro 06:56
• 7 Horn Trio in E-Flat Major, Op. 40: III. Adagio mesto 06:29
• 8 Horn Trio in E-Flat Major, Op. 40: IV. Finale. Allegro con brio 06:15
• Total Runtime 58:39

Info for Brahms: Chamber Music

The horn was one of the instruments that Johannes Brahms learned in his youth, from his father who played it professionally. His fondness and familiarity with the instrument is clear from the glorious solos that he provided it with in his symphonies, and he gave it pride of place in the Horn Trio that he wrote in memory of his mother Christiane. Even so, he never composed any other chamber work involving the horn an oversight that horn players have regretted ever since. Following up on two highly acclaimed BIS albums, Alec Frank-Gemmill decided to rectify this, and enlisted the help of pianist Daniel Grimwood and violinist Benjamin Marquise Gilmore. It goes without saying that the resulting disc includes the Horn Trio which Frank-Gemmill has chosen to perform on the instrument played by Aubrey Brain on his legendary 1933 recording of the work. But leading up to this are two works originally written for violin and cello respectively. The sometimes controversial subject of transcriptions is discussed by Frank-Gemmill in his liner notes where he also explains his selection of works. In the Scherzo that Brahms wrote as his contribution to the F-A-E Sonata (which also included movements by Schumann and Albert Dietrich), he finds that the very fabric of the piece is made up of horn calls, while the galloping 6/8 theme reminds him of the final movement of the horn trio. Wanting to also include a sonata, Frank-Gemmill settled on the E minor Cello Sonata, Op. 38 as the one best suited for the horn, and together with arranger Daniel Grimwood the decision was made to transpose the work a third up, into G minor. Through their efforts, we are able to present a Brahms recital that hornists and the rest of us could only dream of.

Alec Frank-Gemmill, French horn
Daniel Grimwood, piano
Benjamin Marquise Gilmore, violin

Alec Frank-Gemmill
divides his time between concertos, recitals, chamber music and orchestral playing. Alec was a member of the BBC New Generation Artists scheme 2014-16, appearing as soloist with the BBC orchestras on numerous occasions, including in performances of rarely-heard repertoire by Ethel Smyth, Malcolm Arnold and Charles Koechlin. He is a regular soloist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, performing concertos by Mozart (on the natural horn) with Richard Egarr; Ligeti and Strauss with Robin Ticciati; and Schumann with John Eliot Gardiner. In 2017 Alec gave the premiere of James Macmillan’s Concertino for Horn, conducted by Andrew Manze.

Often invited as a guest principal horn, Alec has frequently appeared with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He also performs as part of period-instrument groups, most notably with Ensemble Marsyas. Their latest album, “Edinburgh 1742: Barsanti & Handel”, was critically acclaimed and singled out for its solo horn playing. Alec is the recipient of a Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship, which enabled him to make two recordings for the BIS label: a disc of 19th Century works for horn and piano with Alasdair Beatson, and baroque concertos with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Nicholas McGegan. Both albums have been highly praised in the press.

Alec is Professor of Horn at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, his alma mater. He also studied in Cambridge, Zurich and Berlin with teachers including Hugh Seenan, Radovan Vlatkovic and Marie-Luise Neunecker.

Daniel Grimwood
is a performer of international renown, combining an exceptional talent, rare versatility and refinement, with an inquisitive personality. With a repertoire ranging from Elizabethan Virginal music to the works of living composers, Daniel enjoys a solo and chamber career, which has taken him across the globe, performing on the most prestigious concert platforms, including the Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room in London, Saffron Hall, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Symphony Hall Birmingham, the Sage Gateshead, the Three Choirs Festival, the Rachmaninoff and Gnessin Halls in Moscow, the Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as venues in Germany, Austria, Italy, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Estonia, Taiwan, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Lebanon and Oman.

Daniel’s musical interest started as a 3-year-old playing his next door neighbour’s piano, and from the age of seven he was performing in front of audiences. His training continued with Graham Fitch at the Purcell School, where he also studied violin, viola and composition, giving him a broad appreciation of classical music, and he later studied with Vladimir Ovchinnikov and Peter Feuchtwanger.

Although primarily a pianist, Daniel is frequently to be found performing on harpsichord, organ, viola or composing at his desk. He is a passionate exponent of the early piano, and has given a recital of Chopin’s Etudes on the composer’s own Pleyel piano.

As a solo recording artist, Daniel’s growing discography ranges from Scriabin on Somm Recordings to Algernon Ashton, a world premiere recording on Toccata Classics. His discs of Liszt and Chopin, performed on an 1851 Erard piano, received a unanimous chorus of praise from the press. The Liszt album was Daily Telegraph CD of the week and Editor’s Choice in Gramophone Magazine. He was the first artist to record on the Edition Peters Sounds label. Daniel’s complete Fauré Nocturnes album, which received an excellent reception in The Sunday Times, was followed by a disc of solo piano works by Adolph von Henselt, described as “a blizzard of dazzling pianism” by the Observer.

Daniel regularly performs live on BBC Radio 3 and has been featured in BBC Four’s TV documentary series “Revolution and Romance”. His media work continues with performances and video masterclasses in the “Piano Masterworks” collection on Tido Music, an iPad app launched in 2016.

Benjamin Marquise Gilmore
grew up in England and studied with Natalia Boyarskaya at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Pavel Vernikov at the Vienna Conservatory, as well as with Julian Rachlin, Miriam Fried, and members of the Artis quartet and the Altenberg trio. Benjamin’s father was the musicologist Bob Gilmore, from whom he received instruction in music theory at a young age, and his grandfather is the conductor Lev Markiz, with whom he has performed on many occasions.

Benjamin has appeared at festivals such as Kuhmo, IMS Prussia Cove, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute and Styriarte, and his chamber music partners have included Frans Helmerson, Janine Jansen, Natalia Gutman, Gary Hoffman, Elisabeth Leonskaya, Benjamin Schmid, Mischa Maisky and Gerhard Schulz.

Benjamin has also worked with composers such as Giya Kancheli, Bernhard Lang, Guus Jansen, Gavin Bryars and Frank Denyer. As a soloist he has performed with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, the NDR Hannover, the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Munich Chamber Orchestra.

The recipient of several awards including first prize at the Oskar Back violin competition in Amsterdam, fourth prize at the Joseph Joachim violin competition in Hannover and third prize at the Mozart competition in Salzburg, Benjamin has been a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe since 20111, and was appointed concertmaster of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in 2016.

Booklet for Brahms: Chamber Music