Seattle Times review posted August 13, 2006 -- Melinda Bargreen gives John Cerminaro's new CD "A Life of Music -- Historic Live Performances" a rave review.
Click here to read the David Lewis review of A Life of Music.
- Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio; Brahms: Horn Trio / Licad, Salerno-Sonnenberg, et al
- Expanded Edition - Handel: Water Music, etc / Boulez, NYPO
- Mozart: Horn Concertos / Cerminaro, Schwarz, Seattle SO
- Screamers - Difficult Works for the Horn / Cerminaro, et al
- Starer: Kli Zemer, Samson Agonistes, Annapolis Suite, etc.
- Contrasts - Chamber Works by Dohnányi, et al / Amici
- Beethoven, Hindemith, Heiden, Faure, et al/ Cerminaro, Carno
- Thomas Stevens Trumpet - Hindemith, Bozza, Badinage, et al
New CD, A Life of Music, is Available Now!
Concert Review
Cerminaro has had an extraordinary career, serving as principal French horn in the New York Philharmonic in the glory days of Leonard Bernstein, and Los Angeles Philharmonic, when Carlo Maria Giulini was music director. He has taught at noted institutions and festivals and made superb recordings. His arrival at the Seattle Symphony began a revitalization of the French horn section, at one time among the worst in the orchestra.
Cerminaro is accustomed to solo appearances, and so the Strauss First Horn Concerto held no particular terrors for him. He also knows the piece profoundly, having first performed in 1971, when he was a member of the New York Philharmonic. Cerminaro made the most of what Strauss gave him.
His command of the instrument, notoriously difficult, is remarkable. Period. He seemingly can do anything, and that can be thrilling to a listener. He possesses an uncommonly wide dynamic range and phrases with immense sophistication. This tone is burnished and reminds one why Wagner chose the instrument as a musical symbol for his hero Siegfried in the "Ring" cycle.
-- Excerpt from Concert Review by R.M. Campbell, posted March 25, 2006, at the Web site of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper.
To view more concert reviews, please visit John's News page.
John's Recordings
This page contains links to many of the musical recordings in which John performs. To view images of CD covers that feature photographs of John, please visit the Photos page.
Crystal Records
Please visit the Crystal Records Horn Recordings Web Page to find the following CDs: CD515: Mozart, Four Horn Concertos -- John Cerminaro, Horn; Gerard Schwarz conducting the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. CD679: Screamers: Difficult Works For Horn -- John Cerminaro and Charlotte Cerminaro, horn.
H&B Recordings Direct
The following are links to CDs available from H&B Recordings Direct:
Updated October 22, 2009.