Radek Baborák and the Prague Symphony Orchestra with their principal conductor Tomáš Brauner introduce two essential yet seldom recorded works of the horn literature of the 20th century: Concertos for Horn and Orchestra by Jiří Pauer (1919–2007) and Reinhold Glière (1875–1956), created in the 1950s, six years apart.
Both the composers represented on this album, Jiří Pauer and Reinhold Glière, lived and worked under the conditions of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union, respectively, and belonged among the artists loyal to the regime, officially celebrated, and active in various leading administrative positions. At the same time, they were responsible for creating excellent compositions and educating other significant artists across several generations, and often managed to rebel against the regime and defend artistic quality wherever it was necessary (Pauer, for instance, fought for the rehabilitation of Václav Talich after WWII). Their Concertos for Horn are among the best of their compositional legacy, and are also amongst the most popular pieces in the horn repertoire. © Anima Music