I read that Esa Tapani, the Eastman School of Music's guest recitalist on Monday, February 25, is an award-winning horn player. He won the Nordic horn competition in 1989 and was nominated for Brass Player of the Year in 1990 by Lieksa Brass Week. I read that he is arguably one of the best horn players in the world, with years of concerts under his belt and a resume that includes many of the world's major symphonies and chamber groups.

But what I heard from Tapani as he played a two-hour recital, designed to showcase his French horn skills, was anything but what I would expect to hear from such an accomplished musician.

Tapani took to the stage, in front of about 40 people in Kilbourn Hall, and played several minutes of seemingly random notes and sounds from Olivier Messiaen's "Des Canyons aux etoiles."

Alexandra Nguyen took to the piano and accompanied Tapani for the rest of the night. The remaining three songs prior to the intermission were bland and lacked any real energy or flair.  Tapani and Nguyen worked through pieces by Gounod, Poulene, and Dukas in an almost mechanical manner; just playing the notes without utilizing dynamic range, intensity, or physical animation.

During the break, I asked a handful of Eastman students, who sat through the first half as still and indifferent as the rest of the audience, what they thought. The all claimed they thought it sounded wonderful and that we were sitting in the presence of greatness. But not one could tell me something specific that they enjoyed.

The second half picked up as Tapani and Nguyen worked through Kirchner's "Tre Poemi for Horn and Piano." Tapani attacked the notes and swayed back and forth as he created a dissonant melody, complemented by Nguyen, who at times stood and plucked the strings inside the piano and hammered down on the keys so hard it echoed.

After the concert ended, the audience spontaneously erupted into a standing ovation with cries of "Bravo!" shouted out by several people. This was absolutely shocking, from an audience that seemed to nod off during a good portion of the evening. Regardless, the duo gave in to audience demands and retuned for an encore.