The stereotype of the French is well known: a man with a beret and a baguette. The stereotypical image of the horn is the hunting horn, the only vision the public has of an instrument they hear almost daily but know little about.

So why does horn player Hervé Joulain title his new CD "L'Appel du cor" (The Call of the Horn), why step into cliché? The hunting horn is part of the horn’s history, and composers turned these origins into inspiration. Rustic, thunderous, or poetic, they used the softened calls, the "tayouté", the "débuché de la plaine" and the "halali" as material for modern horn writing.

Some pieces performed by Hervé Joulain may seem like minor works from "conservatory competitions". His playing shows they deserve to be heard. From Busser to Bozza, Pugno to Planel, his horn takes us through dreams, lullabies, legends, and whims, up to Elsa Barraine’s feminine vision of the instrument in her brass band.

Together with pianist Fanny Azzuro, he interprets these works – some premiere recordings – with wonderful musicality.