The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Manfred Honeck have selected Kyle Mustain of the Oregon Symphony as Principal English Horn (which some call cor anglais).
He starts work next week.
The PR says he’s a fan of Prime Minister’s Questions, definitely an acquired taste.
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Lots of my American friends like PMQs, you can even watch it on BritBox (an Amazon Prime channel) where they have “episodic highlights.”
PSO is a wonderful orchestra (gave a great Mahler 5 in NY a few months back).
I agree that it is a magnificent orchestra, right up there with the best of them. And it’s been this for a long time.
Principal English Horn, that’s funny, don’t we need a full section of that instrument in order to hire a principal?
You’re right. Strictly speaking, it’s a contradiction in terms. Similarly, I told somebody that I was about to play the Brahm’s Clarinet Quintet and he asked me if there were five clarinets in it. A: he was a native speaker of English B: he wasn’t kidding. C: He is a composer-or at least passes himself off for one.
No. Any instrument that there’s only one of, that player is called a principal. The tuba player is Principal Tuba, the harpist is Principal Harp, etc. It may be “funny,” but that’s how it works. (Sometimes they are called “solo” this or that, but that is also a title shared with “normal” principals: solo flute of the Tortuga Symphony, for example.)
Congratulations to Kyle! He was outstanding, even as a teenage oboist in Houston. Gorgeous English horn sound.
Funny how an instrument with such rich overtones was given the name “English.” If it were up to me, I would have named a cement mixer “English horn” and perhaps called this beautiful instrument “cor Francais.”
Have at it. Heh.
Actually, the English horn is neither English nor a horn. It’s an alto oboe.
The explanation I’ve always heard is that the original term was “cor anglé” : at an angle, referring to its shape. So “anglais” became a corruption of “anglé” and the “English” a translation of “Anglais”. No doubt other people have other explanations.
Anglé may refer to the bocal, the metal tube between the instrument and the reed that is bent at an angle.
Anglé might refer to the bocal, a metal tube from the instrument to the reed which is bent at an angle.
It is my understanding that it was meant as an “angled” horn, as are the cor Anglais one sees in Baroque practice. It is neither English nor a horn. But, dig that sound, for sure!!
He is soooo handsome….the second best looking oboist from his class in Philly.
Congratulations to both Kyle and his esteemed teacher, Mr. Woodhams. These are MY favorite oboists!
Increasingly, Pittsburgh is becoming the place to be in urban America.