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Elgar: Complete Works For Wind Quintet / Athena Ensemble
Chandos

Elgar: Complete Works For Wind Quintet / Athena Ensemble

$21.99 Only 1 left

Details

Composer
ELGAR, EDWARD
Artist
ATHENA ENSEMBLE
Format
CD
Label
Chandos
Released
Mar 01, 2006
Catalog #
CHAN 241-33
UPC
095115243329

About

This music could be called pre-Elgarian, since it was composed between 1878 and 1879, well before this late-bloomer had begun to find his distinctive voice. It was designed for a specific group of friends who joined together in an ensemble that was off kilter both in terms of its makeup (two flutes, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon) and in terms of its varying skills (the clarinetist was apparently less fluent than the flutists, while the bassoonist—the composer himself—was just beginning to master the instrument). It was penned under less-than-ideal circumstances, too: according to Jerrold Northrop Moore, cited in Noël Goodwin’s informative notes, the young church-organist composer tossed off much of this music during Sunday sermons.

All of this is apt to seem inauspicious, especially for those who don’t much care even for such “important” early works as the Bavarian Dances or for those who don’t like Elgar’s miniatures more generally. Rest assured: there may be nothing even faintly characteristic of the composer here, but the music is consistently captivating in a way that may bring the wind versions of Rossini’s String Sonatas to mind. No profundity, no sentimentality, no significant aesthetic aspirations, no formal challenges, no real attempt to engage the listener on any but the most superficial level: next to this, even the sunnier moments of the Dvo?ák Wind Serenade seem both monumental and avant-garde. But in its bursts of wit and in its unflagging and self-confident optimism, Elgar’s egregiously old-fashioned tidbits will surely brighten your brunch. These spirited performances, by the players who introduced the music to the wider public, have been staples of the Chandos catalog for years—and for good reason. If you’ve missed them in their earlier incarnations, now is a good time to make their acquaintance.

FANFARE: Peter J. Rabinowitz

Tracklist 25 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 I. Allegro moderato, "The Mission" 11:44
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro moderato, "The Mission"
    Duration
    11:44
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  3. 2 II. Menuetto - Trio 05:39
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Menuetto - Trio
    Duration
    05:39
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  4. 3 III. Andante, "Noah's Ark" 04:19
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Andante, "Noah's Ark"
    Duration
    04:19
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  5. 4 IV. Finale 04:48
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Finale
    Duration
    04:48
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  6. 5 Intermezzo No. 1. Allegro moderato, "The Farmyard" 01:33
    Track
    5
    Title
    Intermezzo No. 1. Allegro moderato, "The Farmyard"
    Duration
    01:33
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  7. 6 Intermezzo No. 2. Adagio, "Mrs and Miss Howell" 01:28
    Track
    6
    Title
    Intermezzo No. 2. Adagio, "Mrs and Miss Howell"
    Duration
    01:28
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  8. 7 Intermezzo No. 3. Allegretto, "Nancy" 01:15
    Track
    7
    Title
    Intermezzo No. 3. Allegretto, "Nancy"
    Duration
    01:15
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  9. 8 Intermezzo No. 4. Andante con moto 02:10
    Track
    8
    Title
    Intermezzo No. 4. Andante con moto
    Duration
    02:10
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  10. 9 Intermezzo No. 5. Allegretto 01:34
    Track
    9
    Title
    Intermezzo No. 5. Allegretto
    Duration
    01:34
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  11. 10 Harmony Music No. 1 04:04
    Track
    10
    Title
    Harmony Music No. 1
    Duration
    04:04
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  12. 11 Adagio cantabile, "Mrs Winslow’s Soothing Syrup" 03:45
    Track
    11
    Title
    Adagio cantabile, "Mrs Winslow’s Soothing Syrup"
    Duration
    03:45
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  13. 12 Andante con variazioni, "Evesham Andante" 05:04
    Track
    12
    Title
    Andante con variazioni, "Evesham Andante"
    Duration
    05:04
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  14. Disc 2
  15. 1 No. 1. Moderato e molto maestoso 01:28
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. Moderato e molto maestoso
    Duration
    01:28
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  16. 2 No. 2. Moderato, "Madame Taussaud's" 01:53
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Moderato, "Madame Taussaud's"
    Duration
    01:53
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  17. 3 No. 3. Presto 02:22
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Presto
    Duration
    02:22
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  18. 4 No. 4. Andante, "Somniferous" 02:40
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4. Andante, "Somniferous"
    Duration
    02:40
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  19. 5 No. 5. Allegro molto 03:02
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 5. Allegro molto
    Duration
    03:02
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  20. 6 No. 6. Allegro maestoso, "Hell and Tommy" 02:39
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 6. Allegro maestoso, "Hell and Tommy"
    Duration
    02:39
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  21. 7 Harmony Music No. 2 10:20
    Track
    7
    Title
    Harmony Music No. 2
    Duration
    10:20
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  22. 8 Harmony Music No. 4, "The Farmyard" 12:02
    Track
    8
    Title
    Harmony Music No. 4, "The Farmyard"
    Duration
    12:02
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  23. 9 No. 1. Menuetto 04:15
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 1. Menuetto
    Duration
    04:15
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  24. 10 No. 2. Gavotte, "Alphonsa" 02:41
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 2. Gavotte, "Alphonsa"
    Duration
    02:41
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  25. 11 No. 3. Sarabande 02:44
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 3. Sarabande
    Duration
    02:44
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  26. 12 No. 4. Gigue 02:00
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 4. Gigue
    Duration
    02:00
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble
  27. 13 Harmony Music No. 3 (fragment) 03:23
    Track
    13
    Title
    Harmony Music No. 3 (fragment)
    Duration
    03:23
    Composer
    Edward Elgar
    Ensemble
    Athena Ensemble