Etudes from the Repertoire: An Interview with Los Angeles Opera’s Principal Horn Steven Becknell

by: Annie Bosler, DMA for the International Horn Society’s The Horn Call (February 2019, pages 45-46)

I have had the privilege to know Steven Becknell for nearly fifteen years. In addition to being the principal horn of the Los Angeles Opera for over twenty years, Steve is one of the most active studio players in Hollywood. You have definitely heard him play since he has performed on over 1,000 major motion pictures! He has recently written a new étude book entitled Etudes from the Repertoire. These études have been designed with a dual purpose in mind: to focus on specific technical issues of the horn, and to acquaint the player with the themes and motifs from the standard orchestral and operatic literature. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Steve to ask him a few questions about his career and his newly published book. 

Annie Bosler (AB): Tell us about your playing in both the Los Angeles Opera and in the Hollywood film studios. Approximately on how many films have you played and how many operas have you performed?

Steven Becknell (SB): It is hard to say how many different operas I have played in my life, but I do know that I have played over 1000 opera performances in the pit at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with the LA Opera. These have included pretty much every Puccini opera, most of the Strauss and Wagner operas except Die Meistersinger (still hoping to tackle that one), and virtually all of the Mozart and Verdi operas. I have also played on over 1000 major motion pictures including Jurassic Park, the most recent Star Wars releases (Episodes VII and VIII), and all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. I’ve been fortunate to record with the great composers: John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, John Barry, and with iconic singers such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Barry Manilow.

AB: Can you describe one of your favorite operas to play or a favorite "opera moment" that sticks out in your career and why? 

SB: I think the highlight of my opera career was getting to do Wagner's Ring Cycle with James Conlon in 2010. It's such a monumental work and so physically and mentally demanding that it really leaves a mark on you. But having said that, it's something I'm glad I did, but I don't really want to do again [Laughing]! It's too exhausting!

Probably my favorite opera to play would be Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. The three acts last about four hours, and each act has probably ten to fifteen horn solos. It's tremendously challenging, but rewarding. This opera has it all: loud tuttis, soft/exposed solos, fast technical passages, lyrical melodies, and the utilization of the entire range of the horn.

AB: What unique skill set do you find that you use in opera versus in studio playing?

SB: Transposition of course is a big thing in opera horn parts. After all these years, it's almost second nature for me now. But there are some nasty ones, especially in Verdi: D flat, A flat basso, and B natural. Those will get your head spinning! Another skill needed in the opera pit is the ability to play soft. When the singers are singing the orchestra is really just accompaniment. You have to be able to stay under the singers or you will get "the hand" from the podium.

Studio playing is really the ability to sight-read under pressure. And since you don't know what the music will be you need to prepare for all contingencies: it could be loud blasting, it could be soft exposed solos, it might be fast tonguing or whole notes in the extreme low range. You need to be ready for anything.  Also, the trend these days in the studios is striping the different instrument families. So after a read-through of a cue, they will record the strings and then the woodwinds while you sit there in your seat. Then, after not playing for sometimes almost an hour, they will call out, "brass, you're up." Within about ten seconds, you are playing on cold chops, which is its own skill set.

AB: What was your inspiration behind writing Etudes from the Repertoire? 

SB: Obviously, I just had too much time on my hands last year [Laughing]! Actually, Franz Strauss’ Concert Studies for Valve Horn were kind of my template since F. Strauss based his études on the Beethoven’s symphonies. These always intrigued me. I designed Etudes from the Repertoire with the ultimate in practicality: if someone can play my études well, I guarantee they’ll be able to play the corresponding excerpts better. 

AB: What was your process in writing these études?  

SB: First of all, I tried to pick orchestral/opera works that had a specific, unique technical difficulty in the horn parts. But I also wanted to cover the whole work, which is why I avoided Mahler or Richard Strauss. There’s just too much material in their works! You could probably write an etude just on the opening of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, or perhaps even just the first phrase!  

So, after I chose a work and had the horn licks in mind on which I wanted to focus, I started trying to weave them together and actually compose a piece, with the intent of focusing in on the challenges of a particular passage. Keep in mind these études aren’t just repetitive exercises. They’re really closer to Chopin Fantasies or Impromptus.

AB: How do you incorporate these études into lessons with your students? 

SB: With my students at the University of Southern California, I either have them work on the étude one week and then the corresponding excerpt the following week or sometimes both in the same week. The tempos are clearly marked, and I wrote a paragraph for each étude which I call the “Keys to Performance” where I specify what to strive for within the étude. There are nineteen  etudes in all, but I only assign the very last one in the book to students who come unprepared or are sassy in their lessons [Laughing]. You’ll have to buy the book to see what I mean!  

AB: What is a list of some of the repertoire that you cover in this book?

SB: Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Brahms’ Serenade in D, Beethoven’s Fidelio, Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, and Puccini’s Tosca are some of the rep to name a few.

AB: Where can someone buy the book? 

SB: Etudes from the Repertoire is available online: https://etudesfromtherepertoire.com.

AB: Any plans for a second volume or a sequel book? 

SB: Not in the immediate future but I’m always open to possibilities!