Intermezzo – Famous Intermezzi from the Operatic Repertoire for 8–10 Horns (Horns 9 & 10 ad libitum) arranged by Franz Kanefzky for China Horn Ensemble in 2024.
Giacomo Puccini: Manon Lescaut
Pietro Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana
Franz Kanefzky (translated from German):
"Essentially, I simply want to pass on what I myself encountered as a child:
The burning enthusiasm of musicians and truly memorable concert experiences."
The real reason Franz Kanefzky got into music? He wasn't a very good soccer player. Born in 1964 and raised in a village in the Augsburg district, he faced a choice between joining the local sports club or the brass band.
Although music did not play a major role in his family life, he began learning the trumpet at the age of ten as a member of the local music association. Since then, the joy of making music together has never let him go. He quickly realized that playing in an orchestra was his true calling.
As a horn player, he made that dream a reality.
After completing his music studies at the Leopold Mozart Conservatory in Augsburg, he joined the orchestra—now known as the Nuremberg State Opera—in 1986. Since 1991, he has played with the Munich Radio Orchestra.
Even as a teenager, he composed tirelessly—a passion that remains undiminished to this day.
He writes for a wide variety of ensembles: chamber music, choral works, instrumental concertos, incidental music for the theater, brass symphonies, and pieces for the alphorn, as well as educational orchestral works that have garnered widespread acclaim—such as
"Helden auf dem Notenblatt" (Heroes on the Staff), "Ein Orchester – gut in Form!" (An Orchestra in Top Form!), "Großvater erzählt" (Grandfather Tells a Story), and "Don Quichotte." He has received commissions from organizations including Bavarian Broadcasting (Bayerischer Rundfunk), the Bavarian State Orchestra, "Die Bühne" Nuremberg, and the Herrenchiemsee Festival.
Many of these works have been released on CD.
