The ability of the
French to write felicitously for wind
instruments can perhaps be traced to
Anton Reicha’s days at the Paris Conservatoire
and his numerous works for winds. In
later years, the composers of Les
Six and their wide and widely gifted
circle came to prefer the wind quintet
- with its interpolated guest from the
brass section - to the more dense doublings
of sextets and octets.
My own personal fondness
for the music of these composers and
their contemporaries is certainly by
now no secret to regular readers of
these virtual pages. Rarely does so
much good music come from so substantial
a group of composers from so relatively
small a region. The four utterly charming
works presented here are no different,
and the Danes’ playing is as near to
flawless as anything that has graced
these ears in some time.
Opening with Poulenc’s
1932 Sextet - with deepest thanks to
the excellent piano playing of Ralf
Gothóni - we are off to a rollicking
start. It is quite easy to put oneself
in Gershwin’s shoes when hearing this
music. The bustling sounds of Paris,
with its lively and tuneful music and
legions of interesting people are evident
in Poulenc’s score and if you listen
hard enough, the inspiration for An
American in Paris is well evident.
Cast in three movements, it opens with
a flourish, segues into a lovely repose
and romps out of its first movement
with panache. There follows a charming
divertissement, and we roll out with
an impressive prestissimo.
Jacques Ibert’s tuneful
miniatures are over before you know
it, but what splendid music this is.
Less jazzy than Poulenc, Ibert is a
more picturesque composer whose music
conjures up scenes of landscapes, cloudy
skies and tender moments with a loved
one.
Darius Milhaud was
one of the twentieth century’s most
prolific composers, leaving behind well
over four hundred works. His scenic
La Cheminée du roi René
was originally conceived as film
music, but works quite well as a concert
piece. Each brief movement tells a bit
of the life and adventures of the fifteenth-century
King René, count of Provence
and titular king of Naples. The king
is most fondly remembered for introducing
the muscatel grape to the region.
Finally, Jean Francaix,
the youngest composer of the group takes
a turn with a substantial four-movement
work, which is a good deal more tuneful
that what I had originally expected
to hear.
The Danish Symphony
Quintet, made up of principal players
from the Danish National Orchestra make
for quite a force of nature when seated
together to play chamber music. Each
member a virtuoso in his or her own
right, their ensemble playing is born
out of being accustomed to orchestral
collaboration, and impeccable solo technique.
They play with breathtaking ease, and
the cantabile that they are able to
achieve in slower more melodic passages
is to die for. Rhythmically taut, perfect
in intonation, and quite capable of
displays of pyrotechnics, one can only
hope that Naxos has signed this group
to a long contract, and that many more
discs are to follow.
This is a program of
most refreshing and light-hearted music
that is deserving of a place on any
collector’s shelf. Keith Anderson contributes
his customarily succinct and informative
program essay, and the sound quality
is of the first order, warm and balanced
and clear.
A highly recommendable
release. A fine breath of fresh air.
Kevin Sutton
The Wind Quintet of the Danish National Symphony
Orchestra: Anna Dina Schick, flute; Max Artved,
oboe; Søren Elbo, clarinet; Henning Due
Hansen, horn; Jens Tofte-Hansen, bassoon; Ralf
Gothóni, piano (Poulenc) 
