Wind Chamber Music

[Bogey]

What are your favorite pieces and recordings of those pieces?  I am especially interested in pieces where strings are not included, but by no means want this to be the limit of what you wish to list.  Thanks.

[toledobass]

Ligeti's ten pieces for wind quintet has been a favorite of mine since I first encountered it in grad school.  I've had the chance to see it  live a handful of times, but the only recording I have is the Ligeti edition disk 7.  It serves me well and have no complaints about it, but I think there are probbly a few others out there. 


Allan

[Ephemerid]

What are your favorite pieces and recordings of those pieces?  I am especially interested in pieces where strings are not included.  Thanks.

Some personal favourites

Britten: Metamorphoses after Ovid for solo oboe (Hansjörg Schellenberger)
Debussy: Syrinx for solo flute (Athena Ensemble on Chandos)
Reich: Vermont Counterpoint for flute and tape (the tape has some 10 other flutes if I recall) - I recommend Wilson Ransom's recording (everyone else I've heard is off on intonation and rhythm badly)
Reich: New York Counterpoint for clarinet and tape (something like 10 other clarinets) I recall enjoying Richard Stoltzman's recording
Takemitsu: Garden Rain for small brass ensemble - Canadian Brass (that CD is sadly out of print I think)

These pieces are quite good, but I'm really lacking in this department

[Dancing Divertimentian]

For straight up wind sextet there's Janacek's Mládí (Youth) scored for flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and horn. Fabulous work.

The Mackerras disc below is a great choice, and it comes with great fillers, including two other chamber works for winds w/ assorted instrumental accompaniments (Cappriccio and Concertino).

[Dana]

I always thought that Shostakovich would have written some great wind chamber musix, especially given what goes on in the 5th symphony. He sadly leaves us wanting...

[Symphonien]

Ligeti's ten pieces for wind quintet has been a favorite of mine since I first encountered it in grad school.

His 6 Bagatelles for wind quintet is a very enjoyable piece too.

Also, I have always enjoyed the wind quintet in general. French composers like Ibert, Milhaud and Françaix have all excelled in this genre, and also written much other wind music. Poulenc also wrote a great sextet (wind quintet + piano) as well as various other wind chamber music (mostly with piano). Two other great wind quintets that come to mind are Nielsen's (memorable to bassoonists for its low A on the final chord) as well as Hindemith's Kleine Kammermusik.

[hornteacher]

Beethoven's Wind Sextet Op. 71 for 2 clarinets, 2 horns, and 2 bassoons is a fairly obscure early work that is absolutely delightful.  I played the horn part during a performance once and loved it ever since.

[Bogey]

Beethoven's Wind Sextet Op. 71 for 2 clarinets, 2 horns, and 2 bassoons is a fairly obscure early work that is absolutely delightful.  I played the horn part during a performance once and loved it ever since.

Love that piece hornteacher.  I have it by Consortium Classicum and The Wind Soloists of Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

[karlhenning]

Beethoven's Wind Sextet Op. 71 for 2 clarinets, 2 horns, and 2 bassoons is a fairly obscure early work that is absolutely delightful.  I played the horn part during a performance once and loved it ever since.

One question for clarification . . .



In this sextet, there are (you tell us) two horn parts.  So which is "the horn part"?

[vanessa_zang]

Wind music is another type of music that I still have not gotten into. Just can't stand it most of the time. However, there is one piece that I enjoy very much.

For Philip Guston, by Feldman.

Almost four hours long, but it does count as wind chamber music, does it not? There is a flute in there.

Paul love the Nielsen and Tafenel(sp?).

[Bogey]

One question for clarification . . .



In this sextet, there are (you tell us) two horn parts.  So which is "the horn part"?

[karlhenning]

Wind music is another type of music that I still have not gotten into. Just can't stand it most of the time. However, there is one piece that I enjoy very much.

For Philip Guston, by Feldman.

I don't know this piece, Vanessa, but I like Feldman a great deal (even while I listen to his music very differently than I listen to aught music else).

[jochanaan]

Malcolm Arnold: Three Shanties for wind quintet
Arnold: Trio for flute, oboe and clarinet (I've read that Arnold wrote a lot of music for small, odd combinations during WWII, since small, odd combinations were usually all he had then. )
Samuel Barber: Summer Music for wind quintet
Beethoven: Trio for 2 oboes and English horn, Opus 87
Alban Berg: Chamber Concerto for piano, violin and 13 winds
Irving Fine: Partita for wind quintet
Alan Hovhaness: Wind Quintet, Opus 159 (I've been trying to get my quintet to play this for years, but the other players don't appreciate its meditative qualities! )
Francis Poulenc: Sonata for Oboe and Piano (the last thing he completed before his death)
Edgard Varèse: Density 21.5, for solo flute
Varèse: Octandre, for 7 winds and double bass

I just learned recently that Arnold Schoenberg wrote a wind quintet!  Anybody heard it?

[karlhenning]

Alan Hovhaness: Wind Quintet, Opus 159 (I've been trying to get my quintet to play this for years, but the other players don't appreciate its meditative qualities!)

Hmmmm . . . .

[hautbois]

For straight up wind sextet there's Janacek's Mládí (Youth) scored for flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and horn. Fabulous work.

My favourite wind sextet. The Netherlands Wind Ensemble has a disc on Chandos. The Oslo Philharmonic Winds has one on Naxos. Both are superb recordings.

There are plenty of good works written for winds. The French from the 20th century are impeccable composers of wind music. Ibert, Poulenc, Francaix etc all wrote quality wind music.

Gounod's Petite Symphony is a welcome piece for anyone interested in this genre.

There is a wealth of good music written for winds. It is unbelievable how much repertoire is neglected that were written for winds. Beethoven and Mozart both wrote beautiful piano quintets scored for piano and 4 winds and they are worth checking out. Every all star team imaginable has recorded it.

Howard

[Ephemerid]

I forgot to mention: the Homecoming Wind Quartet did a lovely transcription recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations.  I think its two oboes, English horn & bassoon.  Very woody sounding.   

[hornteacher]

One question for clarification . . .



In this sextet, there are (you tell us) two horn parts.  So which is "the horn part"?

Oops.  I haven't perfected the art of playing two horns at the same time.   
I did play ONE of the horn parts in the sextet.  I think it was the 2nd horn because I've always been good in the low register and there were some bass clef sections if I remember correctly.

[O Delvig]

I think the art of the fugue works great for saxophone quartet, but then I love the saxophone.  I have the Berlin Sax Quartet's recording. I've also heard it for woodwind quartet, and wasn't quite as impressed.

[Gurn Blanston]

The standard for Wind Quintets was set long ago by Antoine Reicha. He wrote 24 with Op #'s, and 1 or 2 WoO. They are for Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Horn & Bassoon. Reicha was a master at passing the thematic material around among all the players, and each of these works is a gem in itself. Reicha was a friend and contemporary of Beethoven, outliving him by just a few years.



I don't have this disk, but I have some by the Praguer's on Hyperion and the Michael Thompson Quintet on Naxos. Very commendable.

[hornteacher]

Just purchased these two Chamber Winds CDs this week and LOVE them!

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=171971

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=858&name_role1=1&genre=55&bcorder=19&comp_id=221589