The Horn in Opera

Beethoven
Fidelio, Act III, No. 9 (“Abscheulicher, wo eilst du hinn…”)
Horn I, II, III

Bellini
La Sonnambula, Act 3, Horn I

Berg
Lulu, all parts
Wozzeck, all parts

Bizet
Carmen, Act 3, Horn I, II
(many exposed passages throughout
the opera in all parts)

Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande, all parts

Flotow
Martha (Overture), Horn I

Gounod
Faust, Horn I

Handel
Guilio Cesare, Horn I, Act 1, aria (“Va, tacito…”)

Humperdinck
Hansel und Gretel
all four parts, entire opera (may be performed
in two or three acts…)

Mascagni
Cavalleria Rusticana, Horn I

Meyerbeer
Il Pelgrinaggio a Ploemel
Act 3, No. 15, 16 (5 horns and tenor)

Mozart
Cosi fan tutti, Act 2, No. 25, Rondo (“Per pieta…”) Horn I, II
Die Zauberflöte, Horn I, II
Don Giovanni, Horn I, II
(Stage Banda parts in Act I finale are
especially taxing)
Nozze de Figaro, entire opera, Horn I, II
Idomeneo, Act 1, No.2 and 3, Act 2, No. 11), Horn I, II

Puccini
Fanciulla del West
La Boheme, all parts
Madama Butterfly, all parts
Tosca, all parts
Turandot, all parts

Rossini
Il Barbieri di Siviglia (Overture), Horn I, II
Italian Girl in Algiers, Act 1, No. 2, Horn I
La Cambiale di Matrimonio (Overture)
La Gazza Ladra (Overture)
Semiramide (Overture)

Strauss, R.
ALL operas have prominent passages in all parts, including
several with extremely difficult and exposed Wagner tuben parts.

Ariadne auf Naxos, Horn I, II (two horns in the opera)
Capriccio (famous horn excerpt in interlude), Horn I
Elektra (8 horns, four doubling Wagner tuben)
Der Rosenkavalier, Horns I-IV
Salome, all parts (6 horns) Salomes Tanz is often performed on
symphonic concerts

Tchaikowsky
Eugene Onegin, all parts, including a first horn cadenza in Act 1
Jeanne d’Arc, Act 1, Horn I, III (“Adieu, foret…”)
Thomas Mignon (Overture)

Wagner
ALL operas have prominent and taxing horn parts, many using
Wagner tuben.

Die Fliegender Hollander (Overture)
Die Meistersinger von Nuremburg
Tristan und Isolde
Das Ring auf Niebelungen
Das Rheingold (prelude is a major low horn excerpt)
Die Walkure
Siegfried (Act 2, Long Call-off-stage solo)
Gotterdammerung, Prelude, Act 2, 3 (11 horns)

Von Weber
Die Freischutz (Overture, all parts)
Oberon (Overture, Horn I), Act 2, Horn I obligato

Verdi
Aida, Horn I, II, Triumphal March
Don Carlo, Prelude, Act 2, all parts, transpositions are difficult
Falstaff, entire opera, all parts (Act 3 off-stage horn solo)
Otello, entire opera
Simon Boccanegra, Act 3, unison horn passage