TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Croatian horn player Radovan Vlatkovic will perform Saturday at the National Concert Hall in Taipei.

Vlatkovic will appear alongside the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of German conductor Kevin John Edusei. He will perform Camille Saint-Saens’ Romance in F major, Op. 36 and Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major.

Saint-Saens’ piece, originally composed for horn and piano, is noted for its lyrical qualities and is a staple in the horn repertoire. Saint-Saens was considered a significant figure in the Romantic period, having composed his first symphony at 16.

Strauss wrote two horn concertos during his lifetime, composed 60 years apart. He lived through both world wars and composed during a time of immense political, social, economic, and cultural upheaval, spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is now regarded as one of the most significant composers of the late Romantic era.

Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 2, composed in 1942 in memory of his father — who was a horn player — is regarded as a technically demanding work. It uses the modern valved horn, which evolved from the natural horn due to innovations such as rotary valves developed during the Industrial Revolution.

The first half of the program also includes Fang Jen-yu’s (方仁宇) The Planet Generator and Anna Clyne’s Masquerade. The second half will feature Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44.

The Planet Generator was composed for the One-minute Symphony Project. The project is a cooperation between TSMC, the NSO, and the Taipei National University of Arts, designed to nurture and encourage the growth of young, talented composers in Taiwan.

Vlatkovic previously served as principal horn of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra before pursuing a solo career, and has performed with the NSO in both concerto and chamber music settings. Ahead of the concert, Vlatkovic said he is glad to return to work with the NSO and looks forward to the performance.