JEFFREY POWERS

• Jeffrey Powers: The Lyrical Horn

"Powers clears the hurdles Westerlinck puts up. Sound is very good, particularly the balance between horn and piano."

Steve Schwartz, ClassicalNet - August 2011

"...a fantastic CD filled with superb performances. This is a CD that should be a part of every horn player's library. Jeff's playing has always impressed me over the years as being beautifully nuanced in tone and masterfully commanding in regards to technique, intonation, range and phrasing. Vincent DeVries is one of those outstanding chamber musicians we all wish lived near us! The two of them make great music together. This CD is an important contribution to the horn society and is a joy to behold"

The Horn Call - May 2010

"[allows] the savoring of nearly a century's worth of Belgian-French beauty."

Arsenio Orteza, World Magazine - August 29, 2009

"A remarkably accomplished and versatile musician, Mr. Powers brings a deeply cultured aesthetic to this repertoire that manifests itself in its titular lyricism... Mr. Powers beautifully shapes his tone to convey the embedded subtleties within [Meulemans'] elaborate horn call, effectively opening the CD to the Flemish aural milieu... Powers and DeVries expertly intertwine their timbres [in the Mortelemans] to create a beautiful, closely-woven tapestry of the Flemish countryside... The [Poot] demands a wide tonal palette and dynamic range from the horn, the difficulties of which are effectively obviated by Mr. Powers’ seamless execution. DeVries demonstrates his collaborative expertise as he provides a sensitive and well-supported fabric of sound... The [Echaute] is a gem of gushing expression and lyricism which showcases Mr. Powers in his unaffected musicality and artistic integrity. Cascading between Wagnerian tonal intensity and sublime singing pianos, the demands of the piece and the agility of Mr. Powers’ playing are well-matched...  Westerlinck’s Maclou [is a] showpiece in many respects [and] Mr. Powers’ sound seems imbued with an internal animation as it dances across the nuances of this demanding piece... [Gilson's] Preludes are a wonderful testament to the amount of musical material that can be garnered from a relatively modest motivic kernel.  Mr. Powers does a great service to the repertoire of the horn by bringing these pieces to light, as each offers a unique character and energy... the expansive melodic nature of [Ryelandt’s Sonata] is ideally paired with Mr. Powers’ artistic approach and DeVries’ masterful pianistic textures..."

Robert Myers, Classical Voice of New England - May 2009

"During my 16-year tenure as Co-Principal Horn with the Royal Philharmonic of Flanders, I came to greatly appreciate the beautiful lyrical writing for the horn that characterizes the works by the Flemish masters recorded here.”
[Jeffrey Powers]

American hornist Jeffrey Powers has been playing in symphony orchestras for 23 years. Having begun his career as second horn in the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Mr. Powers then served as second horn in the New Jersey Symphony, fourth horn in the Philharmonic of Caracas, Venezuela, and fourth horn andWagner tuba in the Cleveland Orchestra under Lorin Maazel and Christoph von Dohnanyi. He subsequently joined the Royal Philharmonic of Flanders, Antwerp, Belgium where he served as principal horn for 16 years. During his tenure in Belgium, he also performed as guest principal horn with most of the major orchestras of the Benelux region (Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg), including the Philharmonic Orchestra of Luxembourg, Flemish Radio Orchestra, Brabants Symphony Orchestra, and Royal Chamber Orchestra ofWallonia. Presently Mr. Powers is principal horn with theWaco Symphony Orchestra and The Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra, and a member of the Baylor Woodwind Quintet and the Baylor Brass. Mr. Powers also performs regularly with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, East Texas Symphony Orchestra, and Plano Symphony Orchestra. Before coming to Baylor, Mr. Powers taught students of all ages and he served on the faculties of the Lemmens Institute in Leuven, Belgium, Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Department, Summer Music Experience in Hudson, Ohio, and Hong Kong Government Music Administrators Office. Powers is also on the faculty of the MasterWorks Festival, sponsored by the Christian Performing Artists Fellowship, held each summer at Winona Lake in Indiana.Well known for his clinics and master classes, he has given clinics on a variety of topics. Powers has recorded extensively in ensemble and has two solo CD. Let All ThatHath Breath Praise the Lord: Music of Praise is Mr. Power’s first solo CD, which includes works by Basler, Chandler, Gryc, Hindemith, Krol and Marc. His second solo CD Into the 21st Century [MSR Classics MS1212] features music by Bentzon, Pilss and Vignery and the Appalachian Suite, written for Powers by Daniel Baldwin. He has premiered numerous other works, including those written for him by Hugh Chandler and David Uber.His own transcription of 5 Psalms by Dvorak for horn and piano has been published by Imagine Music Publishers. Jeffrey Powers, a native of San Antonio, Texas, is currently Associate Professor of Horn at the Baylor University School of Music. He holds a Master of Music in Horn from the Cleveland Institute of Music. His major instructors were James London of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Albert Schmitter and Myron Bloom of the Cleveland Orchestra, and RoyWaas of the Buffalo Philharmonic.

Pianist Vincent de Vries is an active performer, presenting recitals as a soloist, duo pianist, accompanist and organist. Dr. de Vries received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin, and holds a Performer’s Diploma from The Royal Conservatory in The Hague and a Master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. His principal teachers have included Nancy Garrett, Edward Auer, Jerome Rose and Theo Bruins and he has performed in the master classes of such pianists as Earl Wild, Claude Frank and Jerome Rose. He has won awards in several competitions, among them first prize in the National Young Artist Competition in The Netherlands and first prize in the SydneyWright Accompanying Competition at The University of Texas at Austin. In addition to his piano performances, Dr. de Vries is a highly regarded concert organist, with more than three hundred solo recitals and seven solo CD releases to his credit. In 2003 he received the silver medal from the Arts, Sciences et Lettres in Paris for his contributions to the French organ literature. Vincent de Vries is currently Assistant Professor of Piano and Director of Collaborative Piano at Baylor University. Prior to his appointment at Baylor University he was serving as an Assistant Instructor at The University of Texas at Austin-teaching instrumental accompanying to undergraduate and graduate students.
  Arthur MEULEMANS (1884-1966)
Prelude for horn and piano (1961)

Lodewijk MORTELEMANS (1868 – 1952)
Lyrical Pastoral (1910)

Marcel POOT (1901-1988)
Legend for horn and piano (1958)

Prosper VAN EECHAUTE (1904-1964)
Night Poem for horn and piano (1963)

Wilfried WESTERLINCK (b.1945)
Maclou for horn solo (1975)

Paul GILSON (1865-1942)
Five Preludes for horn and piano (1913-1914)
[PREMIERE RECORDING]
I. Andante
II. Allegro energico (pas vite)
III. Allegretto (très retenu), indolent
IV. Allegro agitato
V. Moderato

Joseph RYELANDT (1870-1965)
Sonata for horn and piano, Op.18 (1897)
I. Lento – Andante religioso
II. Allegro – Adagio – Allegro non troppo
 



MSR Classics