Echoes by Rocky Mountain Alphorns

In his first compact disc, William Hopson performs in Gargoyle Valley. Renowned for its echoes, this remote valley is the perfect setting for an Alphorn. The music reveals much about Alphorn sound and style.

This compact disc is seen by many players in Switzerland as the clearest example of Alphorn blowing in the alpine tradition. As such, it is often recommended to aspiring Alphornists for study; but it is much more than that. Hopson has often said that when he recorded this music, in his imagination he was an alpine shepherd playing for his flock. “Echoes” is a glimpse into the soul of an Alphorn player.

The compact disc also features a studio recording of the Richard Strauss art song "Alphorn", for Baritone Voice, French Horn, and Piano. Strauss wrote the piece when he was sixteen years old for his father, who was a celebrated French Horn soloist with the Munich Opera. For this sentimental reason and for the beauty of the music, “Alphorn” was a favorite piece for Strauss throughout his long life.

MUSIC: Rocky Mountain Alphorns "Echoes" Compact Disc is an idealized image in sound of a shepherd boy playing his Alphorn on an Autumn evening as his flock settles in for the night. The sheep bells reinforce this image, as well as the feeling of vast open air created by the echoes,the chirping of the crickets, the occasional buzz of a dragon fly and the periodic release of rockfall from the heights above.

RECORDING LOCATION: Gargoyle Valley is a rugged three hour hike north and west of Banff, Alberta, in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. A deep valley surrounded by towering rock walls, it is a place of wild vertical beauty where light and sound reflect at steep angles from unexpected places.

Woodcut Image: Boy with Alphorn and Dog HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Many of the melodies represent a particular locality in Switzerland, and some describe a daily activity or signal a message. It was a favourite pastime for alpine herdsmen to exchange Alphorn melodies across the valleys from distant hilltop stations.

The "The Herdsmens' Song from Fribourg" is an ancient melody much revered in the French part of Switzerland. In difficult times, large families and rocky land meant that young men had to leave their homeland, often to fight as mercenaries in foreign armies. The sound of this melody was more than many of these young men could bear. Desertion was so common among homesick Swiss soldiers that this melody was banned on pain of death in medieval Strassbourg.

"High on the Mountain" is an Alphorn melody that Johannes Brahms heard while hiking in the Rigi area of Switzerland. The melody so inspired Brahms that he featured it in his "Symphony No. 1 in C Minor". Played early in the last movement by the French Horn player in the orchestra, the melody is surely one the greatest moments in music. The song of a shepherd's horn has carried far.

Jim Hopson is an exciting and eclectic multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and improviser based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. A sonic architect of genre-bending earworms, his music is both sophisticated and accessible. A noted Alphorn virtuoso, he uses his 5+ octave range and exceptional flexibility to guide the instrument into uncharted territory.

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