Reviews

Wiggins:  Echoes for Solo Horn, Opus 113

     “Hornists who know Mr. Wiggins’ music, and he has written a great deal for our instrument, will recall that he writes with colorful harmonies, interesting rhythms, and generally in the higher tessitura. This three-minute solo horn work is no exception. Since it is about ‘echoes,’ however, add copious amounts of stopped horn.”

     (Reviewed by William Scharnberg, Contributing Editor, The Horn Call, February 1996)

 

Wiggins:  Toccata for Twelve, Opus 131 (for Three Horn Quartets)

     “This column has reviewed several horn works by Christopher Wiggins over the years, mostly championed by Jim Emerson’s publishing house. Opus 131 is a two-minute work for twelve horns in three choirs. While the title Toccata, from its keyboard origin, usually implies a composition with rapid passages, it is rather misleading when applied to this work, which is mostly sustained and polychoral in nature.

     “Horn Choirs A and C begin with a quiet, imitative chorale section while Choir B punctuates the texture with two brief, loud, rapid outbursts that return a couple measures later in a faded form. All three choirs then adopt the choral genre in loose imitation, slowly building to a tremendous climax at the end. At two points in the composition the composer uses momentary silence for a stunning effect.

     “Typical of Wiggins’ works, Toccata for Twelve is tonal but with colorful major seventh and ninth harmonies. The horn writing is not particularly low, although the fourth and twelfth parts are mostly in bass clef and the twelfth part is awarded a juicy pedal F at the end. While little mechanical technique is required, the ensemble must have three strong high players up to b-flat” and excellent intonation control from all performers.”

     (Reviewed by William Scharnberg, Contributing Editor, The Horn Call, May 1998)

 

 

Wiggins:  Fanfare for Quadre, Opus 139A

     “Quadre is a California-based horn quartet, and they commissioned Chris Wiggins in August 2000 to write a fanfare to open their  concert series.

     “Any fanfare worthy of the name should grip the attention from the onset, and Fanfare for Quadre succeeds admirably in its 64 bars to do just that. Marked Allegro, the emphasis is on movement rather than simply sonority—block chords are soon followed by ever more intricate rhythms (6/8, 2/4, 4/4, 9/8, 5/8, 3/4, 3+2+2+2/8, 3/8, 4/4, etc.). It is basically tonal, with some interesting discords spicing it up from time to time.

     “The range is from low D (not the pedal note) in the 4th part to top D for 1st horn, and the composer clearly understands how to write effectively for the instrument whilst keeping the parts playable.

     “A sore is provided along with the four horn parts.”

     (Reviewed by Robert Parker, The Horn Call, December 2003)

 

 

 

Wiggins:  Fanfare for a Dozen, Opus 140

     “Subtitled Antiphonal piece for Three Horn Quartets this fanfare is yet another multi-horn piece from the prolific pen of Chris Wiggins, and was published in 2001. Like the Fanfare for Quadre, it is brisk rather than sonorous (Allegro d = 120), and is of a similar length.

     “The three quartets each play as a self-contained unit, but fit with each other harmoniously and structurally. All three 1st horn players must be confident top C-getters, and all the 4th horn players will encounter some bass clef (new notation—other composers and arrangers please note) with the lowest note being pedal G. The pulse is essentially 4/4, but there are enough time changes to keep the listener guessing. There are no performance suggestions, although the subtitle should provide enough clues.

     “Again there is a score provided, plus the 12 parts (clearly shown as quartet A, B or C).

     “Both fanfares provide an appropriate and impressive way to start a concert—who needs trumpets and trombones?”

     (Reviewed by Robert Parker, The Horn Call, December 2003)

 

    

 

 

 

 

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