Program​

Thomas Jöstlein: solo Alphorn piece “Balsam”

Thomas Jöstlein: Alpine Eclipse II 

Thomas Jöstlein: Hymn

Thomas Jöstlein: Andante for eight horns 

Strauss:  “September” from Four Last Songs (arr. by Jöstlein for horn octet.)

Richard Strauss: Alpine Symphony (arr. by P Brink and B Hodge)

Date: Nov 6, 2024
​Time: 7:30pm
Location: Sts Peter and Paul Catholic Church
Address: 1919 South 7th Street, Saint Louis MO 63104
Admission: Free

Concert Artists

Thomas Jöstlein, Horn

Roger Kaza, Horn

Tod Bowermaster, Horn

Julie Thayer, Horn

Brett Hodge, Horn

Caroline Kinsey, Horn

Blaine Dodson, Horn

Cara Kizer, Horn

Jacob Rensink, Horn

Victoria Knudtson, Horn

Tricia Jöstlein, Horn

Thomas Jöstlein: solo Alphorn piece “Balsam”
Balsam for solo alphorn, was written as a balm (German “Balsam” = balm) for the heightened emotions of these days. Using motives from the most famous of all lullabies (Brahms' Wiegenlied, Op. 49, No. 4), the piece was intended to gently soothe, in a gradually expanding work for alphorn, the most pastoral and perhaps soothing of all instruments.

​Thomas Jöstlein: Alpine Eclipse II 
Alpine Eclipse II was composed for the SLSO horn section’s “Live at the Sheldon” program. Using a combination of three alphorns in F and two horns, the work is meant to mirror the effect of the April 2024 total solar eclipse.

Thomas Jöstlein: Hymn
​Hymn to the Library, for the same forces, was written for the June 2024 dedication of the University City Library, sponsored by the library and its director, Patrick Wall. Premiered in the resonant acoustic of the main room, the hymn is meant to convey a devotion to knowledge for all people in our community.

​Thomas Jöstlein: Andante for eight horns 
Andante for Eight Horns was one of Thomas' first published works, thanks to his former Interlochen Music Camp teacher Randall Faust’s publishing company. It’s meant as an homage to composer Richard Strauss, and playable by a fine High School horn choir.

Strauss:  “September” from Four Last Songs
(arr. by Jöstlein for horn octet.)
​The octet arrangement of "September", the second of Richard Strauss’ “Four Last Songs” (Op. posth.), was recently published by Köbl Brass, in Strauss’ hometown of Munich. Strauss original (1948) is for soprano with large orchestra accompaniment (with prominent horn parts!). Thomas Jostlein reseted the work as a feature for a low hornist. The other horns require acrobatic dexterity, with trills, arpeggios, and running 1/32nd notes. The text is still in copyright, and cannot be legally be reprinted; however it is viewable on www.lieder.net.

Richard Strauss: Alpine Symphony (arr. by P Brink and B Hodge)
Richard Strauss was born in Munich in 1864 and died in West Germany in 1949. He was a composer and conductor. Thought to be one of the most important composers of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he was best known for his large scale tone poems and operas.

An Alpine Symphony was the result of a work that Strauss began in 1899 and worked on intermittently across several years. In the wake of Gustav Mahler’s death in 1911, Strauss felt motivated to finally complete the composition. However, the piece continued to evolve over the next four years from a two part work, Der Antichrist: Eine Alpensinfonie, to the well loved tone poem we know today. Strauss completed the work in 1915, and the original first part, Der Antichrist, which was based on a book by Friedrich Nietzche, was discarded. The remaining Eine Alpensinfonie became a tone poem primarily about the experience of a deep appreciationfor nature and hiking through the Swiss Alps. An Alpine Symphony is orchestrated for 125 musicians and typically lasts around 50 minutes! The arrangement of An Alpine Symphony by P. Brink and B. Hodge is for 11 horns and lasts approximately 11 minutes.


* Program notes by Thomas Jöstlein and  Ann Fink