Hindemith, Barber, Larsson, Janacek / Thompson Wind Quintet

$13.99
Label
Naxos
Release Date
January 27, 2000
Format
Added to Cart! View cart or continue shopping.


    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      VARIOUS
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble
    • PERFORMER
      Michael, Harris
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      January 27, 2000
    • UPC
      730099485128
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      8553851
    • LABEL
      Naxos
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Chamber Music & Recitals
    Works ⌄

    1. I. Lustig: Massig schnelle Viertel

      Composer: Paul Hindemith

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

    2. II. Walzer: Durchweg sehr leise

      Composer: Paul Hindemith

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

    3. III. Ruhig und einfach. Achtel

      Composer: Paul Hindemith

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

    4. IV. Schnelle Viertel

      Composer: Paul Hindemith

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

    5. V. Sehr lebhaft

      Composer: Paul Hindemith

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

    6. Summer Music, Op. 31

      Composer: Samuel Barber

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

    7. I. Tranquillo

      Composer: Lars-Erik Larsson

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

    8. II. Agitato

      Composer: Lars-Erik Larsson

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

    9. III. Sostenuto

      Composer: Lars-Erik Larsson

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

    10. IV. (attacca) Giocoso

      Composer: Lars-Erik Larsson

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

    11. I. Allegro

      Composer: Leoš Janáček

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

      Performer: Michael Harris

    12. II. Andante sostenuto

      Composer: Leoš Janáček

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

      Performer: Michael Harris

    13. III. Vivace

      Composer: Leoš Janáček

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

      Performer: Michael Harris

    14. IV. Allegro animato

      Composer: Leoš Janáček

      Ensemble: Michael Thompson Wind Ensemble

      Performer: Michael Harris



For a wind quintet to be successful, each player must be a virtuoso soloist who also is capable of being an ensemble player. The musicians in this quintet fill that bill admirably. On this CD they play a program of 20th century favorites for five wind players--six in the case of the Janácek. The compositions are largely happy works. The opening "March" of the Hindemith is boisterous and upbeat, followed by four movements largely in the same vein. The Barber is more ruminative and romantic, along the lines of the composer's better known works, and the Larsson, except for a somewhat chilly third movement, paints a picture of the sunnier side of Scandinavia. The Janácek, written near the end of his life, is autobiographical, a portrait of the composer's own youth which he had recaptured in an infatuation with a younger woman. The Michael Thompson Woodwind Quintet captures every nuance in these compositions in performances that are virtually free of fault. The sound is more distant than usual for a recording of a small group, but it's exceptionally crisp and clear without any irritating clacking of keys, an effect that often mars more close-up recordings of winds. --Rad Bennett, ClassicsToday.com