Horn Concerto No. 2 in E major, for Horn and Orchestra
Punto's Horn Concerto No. 2 in E major was published in 1779 by the Paris publisher Sieber. It displays the typical features of horn concertos of its time and bears a close resemblance to the concertos of Antonio Rosetti: the middle movement is a Romance, and the third movement follows the era's typical 6/8 rhythm.
Set in E major, the classic "horn solo key," the work already reveals Punto's effort to cultivate virtuosic writing in the middle register alongside the soloistic high range. In his later concertos, this would increasingly become a central focus of his compositional approach.
1. Allegro
Giovanni Punto — born Jan Václav Stich, also known as Johann Wenzel Stich — was born on 28 September 1746 in Žehušice near Čáslav, about 75 km southeast of Prague. He is regarded as one of the great horn virtuosos of the 18th century and belongs among the many well-known Bohemian musicians who left their homeland. His parents were serfs of Count Thun, who had Stich trained on the horn. He first studied with Joseph Matiegka in Prague (including vocal training), then with Haudek and Hampel in Dresden.
In 1768 Stich fled Count Thun's serfdom and from then on called himself Giovanni Punto — both to disguise his identity and to market himself more effectively as a musician. A brief engagement followed in 1768 in Hohenzollern service in Hechingen; from 1769 to 1774 he served the Elector of Mainz, and afterwards was employed in Würzburg until 1780. From 1781 he played in Paris in the chapel of the Count of Artois, with a lifelong pension guarantee. During the French Revolution, from 1795 to 1797, he was orchestra director at the Théâtre Variétés in Paris, leaving the city in 1799.
From 1769 onward, Punto undertook numerous concert tours across Europe, establishing his international fame. Mozart heard him during his stay in Paris and was enthusiastic. In 1800 Punto gave concerts in Vienna and Budapest together with Beethoven (Sonata Op. 17). In 1801 he returned triumphantly to Prague. Giovanni Punto died on 16 February 1803 in Prague of "hydrothorax" (dropsy of the chest), a condition then common among wind players.
