Hector McDonald
Hector McDonald's horn has a golden, unforced bloom, whether threading Classical concertos or locking into chamber dialogue. From Haydn and Telemann to Brahms, Banks and Berkeley, the line stays poised, radiant and soloistic.
As Solo Principal Horn of the Vienna Symphony he brings orchestral weight and chamber intimacy in the same breath. With the Academy of Melbourne he sails through concertos by Haydn, Förster, Telemann and Teyber, the horn bright and agile above the band. Alongside violinist John Harding and pianist Ian Munro the sound turns generous and radiant in Brahms, meets the serial bite of Don Banks and the shapely lyricism of Lennox Berkeley as an equal partner, and colours Elena Kats-Chernin's Velvet Revolution with hymn, freeze and anarchy. The same horn slips into Andrew Ford's settings for tenor. This is playing that makes the instrument feel inevitable.
Hector McDonald is featured on the following titles
Horn Trios
A dazzling trio in horn trios by Banks, Berkeley and Brahms. Anyone who caught their Australian performances in 1998 will know how wonderfully these musicians work together.
Horn Concertos
Hector McDonald, then Solo Principal Horn of the Vienna Symphony, joins the Academy of Melbourne under Brett Kelly in a programme of horn concertos by Haydn, Förster, Telemann and Teyber.
Hector McDonald also appears on
Chamber of Horrors
Tall Poppies presents chamber music by Elena Kats-Chernin, one of Australia’s most loved composers, in works written for the musicians who play them here.
Harbour
This CD features the remarkable voice of the septuagenarian tenor Gerald English in works written especially for him by Andrew Ford. A star-studded gathering of musicians accompanies him and also plays three solo works.
Hector McDonald is a member of
Tall Poppies Ensemble
An occasional studio ensemble of Australian chamber musicians, the Tall Poppies Ensemble records Australian chamber music with crisp brilliance and outstanding precision: outback pulse, contemplative stillness, Asian-inflected lyricism and political colour.