Caprice Reimagined

Abstract

In 1835, Jacques-François Gallay, regarded by Fétis as the ‘last great hand horn virtuoso in France’, composed Douze Grands Caprices which embody the capabilities of the instrument in its most virtuosic form. In the past few decades there has been a renewed interest in hand horn playing, with an increasing number of horn players now pursuing historical horns as a specialisation. A new generation of players have emerged who are capable of pushing beyond the boundaries and perceived capabilities encapsulated by Gallay in his Douze Grands Caprices. This project aims to create an extension of the hand horn playing tradition, reflecting the capabilities and aesthetics of our time: a set of 12 new works for solo hand horn – in response to Gallay’s Caprices – are being commissioned from 12 living composers.

Composing for the hand horn is no longer a novelty. However, despite a series of works composed for the Bad Harzburg International Natural Horn Competition in the 1980s and more recent contributions by John Croft and Pip Eastop (for example) almost all of the composers have been horn players or have intimate knowledge of the instrument from a performer’s perspective. This lack of an outsider’s perspective on the instrument’s potentials should be addressed if we want a substantial and diverse repertoire. This project thus engages with composers who have no previous relationship or background with the hand horn.

The field of historical performance, in particular hand horn playing, has undergone significant advancement in performance technique and shift in musical aesthetics that is reflected in the practice of music making. The absence of substantial works that truly reflect the capabilities of the instrument and its players since the ‘Early Music’ Revival Movement also reflects a lack of documentation in performance practice. This project serves to generate a new benchmark and a reference point for what could be possible now for hand horn playing, and what could be standard practice in the foreseeable future.

I started playing the natural horn because of my love for the instrument, but I have at times struggled with my relationship with the existing solo repertoire. My aim is that by expanding the repertoire and musical language of the instrument, I can showcase the unusual beauty that lies in such an ‘imperfect’ instrument and reach a new audience. The composers I am collaborating with are Michael Finnissy, Dai Fujikura, Rockey Sun Keting, Robin Haigh, Grace-Evangeline Mason, Holly Harrison, Lloyd Coleman, Scott Wollschleger, Timo Andres, James B Wilson, Electra Perivolaris, and Georgia Scott. The commissions have been supported by Arts Council England and The Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust.

I have produced four videos exploring the technical and musical capabilities of the natural horn as a reference for composers and horn players. The commissions have received their premieres across a variety of performance events and platforms, and will be released in their pairings with Gallay’s Caprices on two commercial discs. Dai Fujikura’s ele was released commercially in 2022 on his album Aquarius, and his work was also published by Ricordi Berlin in 2021. Several of the other commissions have also been published or are in the process of being published by their respective publishers.

I have given lecture recitals and presentations on the pieces at Academy public research events, as well as in conferences such as the 12th Biennial International Conference on Music Since 1900, hosted by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and the AEC’s European Platform for Artistic Research in Music (EPARM) 2022, hosted by Royal Academy of Music, London, UK and EPARM 2024, hosted by Academy of Music, Ljubljana, Slovenia. A chapter on the collaboration with Dai Fujikura has been submitted for publication in Living Music, a new book series of academic essays dedicated to contemporary music for Routledge edited by Xenia Pestova Bennett and Christopher Dingle. My contribution in the upcoming In Conversation: Dance and Silence, as part of Society for Dance Research’s Dance in Dialogue Book series draws heavily on my exploration of Michael Finnissy’s Six Caprices for natural horn (2021-2022).

Main image by Samuel Middleton

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Bio

Based in London, Isaac Shieh is a New Zealand musician and researcher of Chinese minority ethnic background. Described as a ‘natural horn virtuoso’ (The Horn Player) and an ‘era-defining’ musician (Il Graffio), his work takes him around the globe; exploring repertoire and instruments from early 18th Century through to the present day

Isaac is Musician in Residence with Paraorchestra and New Wave Emerging Artist at the Bloomsbury Festival. He works regularly with Britten Sinfonia, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Chineke! Orchestra amongst others. He is also in demand as guest principal with various period and modern orchestras, and has performed as a soloist at the Edinburgh International Festival, Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, British Horn Society Festival Gala Concert, in front of HRH Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall at Llwynywermod, and with the London Chamber Orchestra. An active collaborator, Isaac works regularly with composers, performers, and choreographers to create new works.

Outside of music, Isaac is a current England International in the sport of para bowls as a director, and is a World Bowls Championships bronze medallist.