Unequivocally acknowledged as one of classical music's most unique talents, Dennis Brain almost singlehandedly popularised the overlooked horn as an important solo instrument. A natural master of intonation, he broke new territory with his interpretations of Richard Strauss's horn concertos and was the first person in the modern era to perform Joseph Haydn's 'Horn Concerto No. 1', achieving iconic status and lifting the profile of the long overlooked horn player to the same level of top violinists, pianists and conductors, inspiring along the way - among others - Benjamin Britten.
Born in London, he came from a long line of horn musicians; his grandfather Alfred was one of the top horn players of his time, as was his uncle - also called Alfred - while his father Aubrey was principal horn player with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and his mother Marion was a composer. His brother Leonard was a respected oboe player who worked with Dennis in a wind quartet and his niece Tina Brain also went on to become a top horn player.
His exceptional talents were recognised at a young age. Having initially studied piano and organ, he studied horn at the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 15, making his performing debut at 17 in 1938 playing second horn with his father's Busch Chamber Players performing Bach's 'Brandenberg Concerto'. The following year he made his recording debut again playing second horn under his father with the Lener Quartet on Mozart's 'Divertimento in D Major'. By the age of 21 he was first horn player with the National Symphony Orchestra, though his rapid rise was interrupted when he was conscripted into the RAF at the outbreak of World War II, during which time he and his brother Leonard both joined the Central Band of the RAF and then the RAF Symphony Orchestra.
Brain's reputation rapidly grew after he inspired Benjamin Britten to compose 'Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings' for him and Peter Pears, after which his virtuoso recording of the Beethoven Horn Sonata led to him becoming the most sought-after horn player in England, and he subsequently filled the position of principal horn in both the Philharmonia and the Philharmonic Orchestra. He later formed his own wind quartet with his brother, diversified into chamber music, began conducting and formed a close connection with Herbert von Karajan.
A notorious joker, he performed a Leopold Mozart horn concerto on a rubber hose pipe at a Gerard Hoffnung music festival, but he also had a love of fast cars and tragic struck in Hatfield when, driving home to London from a concert in Edinburgh in 1956, he was killed in a car crash. He was just 36 years old.
