Reviews

  • "... there is so much sterling playing here, not least from the bass clarinet of Helen Bennett and the brass section of just five players (Alastair Rycroft and Matthew Horn, horns)."

    — Colin Clarke, ‘Gangsta Salome: Richard Strauss in Bethnal Green’ (April 2026, Opera Today)

  • "Matthew has been a great horn teacher to Tommaso, for several years. What I have been most impressed by is how he has tuned in to Tommaso: how he learns best, and how to capture and hold his attention. Tommaso loves his lessons, and really enjoys playing the horn."

    — Stefan Schrijnen, Parent of Matthew’s Student (5 August 2024)

  • "Matthew has been teaching me for several years now, starting when I was an absolute beginner on the horn. One thing I appreciate about Matthew's style is his ability to mix music theory into our lessons, to help "make sense" of the music rather than just approaching what's written on the page more mechanically. It's always a good balance of technique, sightreading, playing, and interpretation--which makes playing enjoyable regardless of skill level."

    — Neal Palmer, Matthew’s Student (4 August 2024)

  • "... there were also thrilling things, notably some nerveless horn playing and the spooky use of the Freemasons’ organ to add subterranean rumble to ominous moments."

    — Richard Morrison, ‘Siegfried review — there’s no dull moment in Regents Opera’s terrific Wagner’ (08 February 2024, The Times)

  • “The three pulsing horns achieve minor miracles. Throw in the Freemasons’ organ to add a bit of numinous wonder and the right tingles are achieved.”

    — Neil Fisher, ‘Das Rheingold review — is this slimmed-down Wagner the future of opera?’ (14 November 2022, The Times)

  • "Mulberry Winds is a talented group of wind players headed by Matthew Horn who performed in October 2021 at an annual concert we have organised for many years in the Woodford Valley in Wiltshire. They were professional and charming, with arrangements of harmoniemusik they had done themselves and original settings. In the modern era, it’s an unfamiliar combination of instruments and mulberry winds show us why it was so popular with 18th century patrons and, above all, with Mozart."

    — Guy Leech (October 2021)

  • "My friend and I enjoyed listening to Mulberry Winds enormously. It was so uplifting to get back to live music after so long and we were certainly not disappointed. The concert was a great tribute to the memory of Peter Bailey, a much loved friend, who launched these annual events...All power to your lungs!"

    — Jean L (October 2021)

  • "Payne’s Horn Trio (2006), written for a senior wedding anniversary, is very attractive in its lyricism, always expressive even when increasing in momentum and strength ... The aptly named Matthew Horn played superbly, with or without mute, and was matched by his colleagues."

    — Colin Anderson, ‘Prom 15: BBC Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Davis – Tchaikovsky’s Tempest, Anthony Payne’s Of Land, Sea and Sky, Vaughan Williams’s Toward the Unknown Region – Ray Chen plays Bruch; Composers in Conversation’ at Royal Albert Hall, London (26 July 2016)