Classical/Review Mary Beth Orr - The Singing Horn
Mary Beth Orr is a passionate classical hornist and folk vocal artist intent on bringing connection through music, most recently a finalist for The American Prize in instrumental performance 2023. The chosen medium of her classical horn and solo voice combines with the rich and soulful traditional melodies of her Appalachian heritage, creating a poignant musical journey of the human spirit.
“The Singing Horn” by Mary Beth Orr is an incredibly unique and intimate album that combines the accuracy and profundity of classical music with the earthy closeness of folk. Orr is a well-known hornist and folk singer who creates timeless and innovative music with her uncommon dual fluency in voice and horn.
Horn melodies blend with folk voices in the album's opening tracks, which flow like a contemporary song cycle and lull listeners into a reflective soundscape. The smoothness of the genre changes is evidence of Orr's extraordinary talent and emotional awareness. A focal point is the eerie arrangement of "Oh Death," which is bleak, exposed, and profoundly poignant.
Every song on the album reflects on the dualities of life—joy and sadness, hope and despair—with themes of motherhood, bereavement, and spiritual reckoning at its core. "Good and True," a composition based on the Dagara Tribe's birthing hymn as described by Sobonfu Somé, is especially moving. Here, Orr uses voice and horn as sacred instruments of expression and healing, drawing on long-standing traditions of musical storytelling.
“The Singing Horn” stands out for its genuineness as well as its daring blending of styles. Orr employs genre as language, moving it fluidly to effectively convey the many facets of the human experience, rather than as a gimmick. The end product is an album that defies classification, providing a profoundly engrossing and emotionally arousing experience that is both intellectually and emotionally complex.