RASMUSSEN; LARSSON; NIELSEN; HALLGRIMSSON
Wind Quintets.
Reykjavik Wind
Quintet
Chandos CHAN 9849
[73.53]
The important work here is Carl Nielsen's 1922 Quintet which is a
jewel in the repertoire of every wind quintet. It is a typically individual
and often quirky work of Nielsen's maturity and characterised the personalities
of some players whom he had heard, and it is well played here. Next to take
my attention was the twice-slimmed quintet of the Edinburgh based Icelandic
born cellist/composer Haflidi Hallgrimsson. Originally given in eight
movements in Edinburgh, 1991, it was cut down to five movements in 1992 and
finally to three, renamed Intarsia and given here. They are characterful,
middle of the road, pieces - enjoyable to hear and earning recital space.
I was rather disappointed by Lars-Erik Larsson's cheerful Divertimento
(1969) having enjoyed his Pastoral Suite on plum-label 78s in my long-away
youth (the composer's name tripped off the tongue pleasantly, and I never
forgot it!); well written and good to play, I guess, but unmemorable. And
I have to say the same for Peter Rasmussen's of 1896, which is workmanlike
but unoriginal - apart from the fact that he had written a wind quintet at
a time when few others were doing so.
This music would all be perfectly acceptable for the club circuit, where
there is a loyal audience not frightened away by the unfamiliar - indeed
this programme as a whole could go down well, possibly with one of the pioneering
examples of the genre by Reicha or Danzi.
But do try also the Nielsen complete wind music played by Selandia
Ensemble and guests, reviewed for MotW early this year, on
Kontrapunkt 32288
****.
Peter Grahame Woolf
