Royal Academy of Music

Claire Marsden - French horn 
Sam O'Neal - piano

After studying at Chetham’s School of Music, Claire now attends the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2024, she reached the brass final of BBC Young Musician of the Year. Sam studied music at the University of Cambridge and now studies ensemble piano at the Royal Academy of Music. Their programme includes Sigurd Berge’s Horn-Lokk which blends traditional horn calls with Norwegian folkinspired melodies, creating a haunting piece with a furious climax.

Sigurd Berge (1929-2002) was a Norwegian composer known for his contributions to music education and his interest in Norwegian folk music. His works span a variety of styles, from traditional tonal music to electronic music and multi-media compositions.

Berge’s Horn-Lokk is an unaccompanied horn solo composed in 1972 for fellow Norwegian Frøydis Ree Wekre. It consists of four sections and incorporates melodies inspired by Norwegian folk music. The piece showcases the horn as an instrument and is challenging for the performer due to its tessitura and required techniques.

The Horn-Lokk contains traits reminiscent of traditional horn calls but with more complex tonality and dissonant intervals. The piece lacks the heroic quality of popular horn call melodies and instead presents a haunting and repetitive melody that grieves, with a cathartic outburst of fury at the climax.