Watch

Listen

News

Contact

About us

Martin Owen - French Horn             

Martin Owen as soloist in Oliver Knussen's Horn Concerto with the

BBC Symphony, conducted by the composer in a highly acclaimed performance broadcast live on BBC television. Watch.

Martin Owen…

brings a Dennis

Brain-like poetry

to his playing.

Michael Kennedy,

The Sunday Telegraph

It was a good idea to

have Oliver Knussen

conduct his Horn

Concerto...a little gem,

already heard twice

before at the Proms

and here given a

radiant performance by

Martin Owen.
Geoffrey Norris, The

Daily Telegraph,

(Owen as soloist, BBC

Prom 30, 2009)

Knussen followed it

with two of his own

works, The Way to

Castle Yonder and the

Horn Concerto. There's

magic in the concerto,

as the soloist guides

us through a world rich

in mystery, murmurs and

transcendent beauty. Both performances were remarkable, the concerto, with Martin Owen as

soloist, above all.

Tim Ashley, The Guardian

(Owen with The Hallé, Bridgewater Hall)

Also on the schedule was the UK premiere of a new work by Knussen, but unfortunately his Cleveland Pictures was not ready in time. Instead, there was a performance of his 1994 Horn Concerto, with Martin Owen as the wonderfully supple soloist.

Andrew Clements, The Guardian

(Owen as soloist in Knussen Horn Concerto, BBC Prom 30, 2009)

Owen as soloist in Elliott Carter Horn Concerto, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Oliver Knussen, Barbican Centre. Carter's 100th birthday celebration:

Martin Owen.... dazzled us in the recent Horn Concerto, a jubilant celebration of this "peculiar instrument" (Carter's phrase), with the solo gymnastics magically tinctured by a rainbow of wonders, from tutti shrieks and a percussion salsa to whispers of vibraphone and muted brass.
Geoff Brown, The Times

Carter's astonishingly vivid Horn Concerto was scrupulously played by Martin Owen.
Keith McDonnell, MusicOMH.com

Owen as soloist alongside Toby Spence with the Scottish Ensemble,

Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (CD Review):

Owen's playing is a luxury for the ear.
Paul Driver, The Sunday Times

Martin Owen's horn playing is rich and expressive in the Serenade, and he manages the haunting, swooping octaves in 'Dirge' with apparent ease.

BBC Music Magazine

Horn virtuoso Martin Owen balances himself against the rest of the group in the ensemble numbers, but he makes the most of the "Prologue", playing with incredible dynamic range and pushing himself as close to the edge as Anthony Halstead did in the Nimbus recording...Moving into the "Elegy", Owen rivals Halstead for power and sharp character...The slow pace for the movement intensifies it immensely, and Owen's control over his final few notes is masterful. The subsequent "Dirge"...capped at its height by a demonic contribution from Owen's horn.

A more convincing case for an intimately-scaled performance of the Serenade is difficult to imagine.

Mark Jordan, High Fidelity.com

Artist Manager

(General)

International

0044 208 670 0766

UK (local call rate)

0844 3 570 750