Martin Owen horn | corno

Martin Owen is widely regarded as one of Europe's leading horn players, appearing as soloist and chamber musician at some of the leading music festivals around the world. Martin currently holds the position of Principal Horn at the BBC Symphony Orchestra, having served as Principal Horn of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for ten years, and during the 2012/13 seasons, Martin was Principal Horn of the Berliner Philharmoniker on a temporary contract. He is also Principal Horn in California based chamber music ensemble Camerata Pacifca and the UK’s Britten Sinfonia and Hafner Ensemble. Recent highlights include performances of concertos by Mozart, Richard Strauss, Schumann, Messiaen, Britten, Elliott Carter, Oliver Knussen and Thea Musgrave with orchestras including the BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Orquesta Nacional de Espana, The Halle, New World Symphony, Bucharest Philharmonic and Ensemble Modern. Other highlights include Strauss: 2nd Horn Concerto with the Aalborg Symfoniorkester and Baltic Philharmonic, as well as performances with the Camerata Pacifca. In 2006, Martin Owen also gave the world premiere of Malcolm Arnold's recently discovered Burlesque with the Royal Philharmonic in the composer’s home town of Northampton, and, in 2007, made his solo debut at the BBC Proms performing Schumann's Konzertstuck with the BBC Philharmonic. Martin returned to the Proms as soloist in 2009 in a highly acclaimed performance of Oliver Knussen's Horn Concerto with the BBC Symphony conducted by the composer, broadcast live on BBC television and radio. In 2008, he made his Barbican debut in the London premiere of Elliott Carter's Horn Concerto with the BBCSymphony/Knussen as part of Carter's 100th birthday celebrations (the performance was released by Bridge Records in March 2010). More recently, in May 2011, Martin performed both the Knussen and Elliott Carter horn concertos with the Orquesta Nacional de Espana in Madrid, broadcast live on Spanish national radio. Other recordings include Mozart’s horn concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (for RPO classics), Britten's Serenade with Toby Spence and the Scottish Ensemble directed by Clio Gould (for Linn), Schubert's Octet with Michael Collins (which was recorded for Wigmore Hall’s Live label), Schumann's Konzertstuck with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Mackerras (on the BBC’s label), Danzi's Sinfonia Concertante with the Orquestra de Cadaques/Marriner (on the Trito label) and Roderick Elms' Four Seasonal Nocturnes with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Cleobury (for Dutton). Additionally, Martin Owen has performed on over 300 movie soundtracks to date including James Bond, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Gladiator and Pirates of the Caribbean flms. In 2013, Martin performed at festivals in the UK, Germany and the Ukraine, as well as giving concerts with Ensemble Berlin in Portugal, Germany and Croatia. A recording of Benjamin Britten's Canticles with tenor Ben Johnson (for Signum Classics) was released in February, and Martin performed Benjamin Britten's Serenade with Ben Johnson at Aldeburgh in 2013, the Centenary of Britten's birth. Solo concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic included Vivaldi Concerto for 2 horns and strings, and Stravinsky "Four Russian Peasant Songs" for 4 horns and choir. 2014 continued with further performances of Schumann's Konzertstuck and Musgrave's Horn Concerto with the BBCSO and Sakari Oramo, Strauss Concerto No.1/Bucharest Philharmonic and Strauss Concerto No. 2 with the Baltic Philharmonic; and festivals in the UK, Sweden, Norway, Croatia, Romania, Germany, Spain and Portugal. The 2015-16 season included Britten's Serenade with Bergen Philharmonic/Mark Padmore conducted by Ed Gardner in Ed's inaugural concert as chief conductor, Strauss 2 with Barcelona Opera orchestra/Josep Pons, Diana Burrell’s Brass Concerto with BBC Symphony and Strauss 1 with Staatsphilharmonie Nurnberg/Sir Roger Norrington and Brighton Philharmonic, as well as a return to Nick Daniel's Leicester International Chamber Music Festival, Hatfeld House Festival, and back to California with the Camerata Pacifca. Martin also performed Britten’s Serenade in 2016 in Shanghai, Norwich and Cambridge with Britten Sinfonia/Ian Bostridge. 2017/18 includes chamber/solo engagements in the UK, France, Poland, Austria, Finland and Australia and the USA, renewed collaboration with Mark Padmore on a tour of Britten’s Serenade in November 2018, and principal horn work with the Cleveland Orchestra. Martin Owen is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, where he is Professor of Horn, and visiting teacher at many other schools and conservatoires including the Hans Eisler, Berlin, Maurice Andre Academy in Lliria, Valencia and Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Riconosciuto come uno dei migliori cornisti di oggi, Martin Owen è regolarmente ospite dei più prestigiosi festival internazionali, collaborando da solista nei concerti di Mozart, Richard Strauss, Schumann, Messiaen, Britten, Elliott Carter, Oliver Knussen e Thea Musgrave con orchestre del calibro della BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Orquesta Nacional de Espana, The Halle, New World Symphony, Filarmonica di Bucharest, Aalborg Symfoniorkester, Baltic Philharmonic e Ensemble Modern. Attualmente è il primo corno della BBC Symphony Orchestra, avendo ricoperto precedentemente lo stesso ruolo per dieci anni alla Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Nelle stagioni 2012-2013 è stato primo corno invitato dei Berliner Philharmoniker e attualmente collabora nella stessa veste con l’ensemble Camerata Pacifca in California e con la Britten Sinfonia e l’Hafner Ensemble nel Regno Unito. Nel 2006 Owen esegue insieme alla Royal Philharmonic la prima assoluta della Burlesque di Malcolm Arnold e nel 2007 debutta ai BBC Proms con la BBC Philarmonic eseguendo il Konzertstuck di Schumann, tornando nel 2009 con il concerto per corno di Olver Knussen in diretta TV e radio a fanco della BBC Symphony diretta dall’autore, ottenendo unanime consenso di critica. Nel 2008 debutta al Barbican con la prima londinese del concerto di Elliott Carter con la BBC Symphony/Knussen (la registrazione dal vivo e’ stata pubblicata nel 2010 sull’etichetta Bridge Records). Nel 2011 esegue i concerti di Knussen e Carter con l’Orquesta Nacional de Espana a Madrid, in diretta radiofonica nazionale. Tra le sue numerose registrazioni, da segnalare i concerti di Mozart con la Royal Philharmonic (RPO classics), la Serenata di Britten con Toby Spence e lo Scottish Ensemble diretto da Clio Gould (Linn), l’Ottetto di Schubert con Michael Collins (Wigmore Live), il Konzertstuck di Schumann con la BBC Philharmonic/Mackerras (etichetta BBC), la Sinfonia Concertante di Danzi con l’Orquestra de Cadaques/Marriner (Trito) e i Four Seasonal Nocturnes di Roderick Elms con la Royal Philharmonic/Cleobury (Dutton). Ha suonato in oltre 300 colonne sonore tra cui James Bond, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Il Gladiatore e I Pirati dei Caraibi. Nel 2013 la registrazione dei Canticles di Benjamin Britten con il tenore Ben Johnson viene pubblicata da Signum Classics e Owen si esibisce anche a Aldebrugh nella Serenata di Britten sempre accanto a Johnson in occasione del centenario dalla nascita del celebre compositore. Si esibisce in viarie occasioni da solista con i Berliner Philharmoniker, nel concerto di Vivaldi per due corni e archi e nei Quattro Canti Contadini Russi di Stravinsky. Nel 2014 esegue il Konzertstuck di Schumann e il concerto di Musgrave con la BBCSO e Sakari Oramo, il 1o concerto di Strauss con la Filarmonica di Bucharest e il 2o concerto di Strauss con la Baltic Philharmonic. Nella stagione 2015- 16 suona con la Bergen Philharmonic diretta da Ed Gardner, con l’Orchestra dell’Opera di Barcellona e Josep Pons, il Concerto per Ottoni di Diana Burrell con la BBC Symphony, Strauss 1 con la Statsphilharmonie Nurnberg/Sir Roger Norrington e con la Brighton Philharmonic. Torna inoltre al Leicester International Chamber Music Festival e Hatfeld House Festival e porta la Serenata di Britten a Shanghai, Norwich e Cambridge con la Britten Sinfonia/Ian Bostridge. Tra gli impegni della stagione 2017/18 la rinnovata collaborazione con Mark Padmore per una tournee con la Serenata di Britten, concerti da solista in Regno Unito, Francia, Polonia, Austria, Italia, Finlandia, Stati Uniti e Australia e l’invito a ricoprire il ruolo di primo corno per concerti con la Cleveland Orchestra. Martin Owen detiene una Fellowship alla Royal Academy of Music dove insegna corno, ed è professore invitato presso numerose scuole e conservatori internazionali tra cui l’Hans Eisler di Berlino, Accademia Maurice Andre di Lliria, Valencia e Santiago de Compostela in Spagna.