The composer and horn player Robert Thistle was born in Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.A. in 1945.
He studied music at Boston University and New England Conservatory in Boston. His teachers were Walter Macdonald and Ralph Pottle, both of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In Germany he studied with Erich Penzel and Hermann Baumann.
After military service in the U.S.Army Field Band he continued his career as orchestral horn player and teacher in Europa, presently in the Gürzenich Orchestra and Rheinische Musikschule of Cologne.
About the composition "Visions"
This composition came into being in the first half of the year 2000, as plans were being made for a concert for trumpet, horn and organ in the Altenberg Cathedral near Cologne. It was conceived as a short dramatic work for performance in a large church. There are correspondingly several rests between the sections, which are only a guideline and must not be adhered to rigidly. In the selection of tempo the clarity of rhythms should be a deciding factor. The title "Visions" was applied from the impression of the music.
The premiere took place in the Altenberg Cathedral on 8 October 2000. The performers were Wolfgang G. Haas, trumpet, Robert Thistle, horn und Domorganist Paul Wißkirchen, organ.
