# Favorite Woodwind Quintets



## Heck148

I've not seen a thread on this topic....so I thought I would introduce one -

Woodwind 5tets date from around the time of Beethoven...the harmonie-music, favored by classical composers, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Krommer, etc was the prominent form of chamber music for woodwinds...basically the wind section of the classical orchestra was taken separately, and wonderful works were written for pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns, bassoons...

But some contemporaries of Beethoven - Danzi, Reicha, Cambini - began to compose works for WW 5tet - featuring the solo instruments of the orchestra as a chamber group - no more pairs, and the flute is added - Flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon. 
Danzi wrote three different sets of quintets, 9 in all, IIRC
Cambini composed 3
and Reicha composed at least 24...

This combination was not used too much during the Romantic era, [there are a few] - but the 20th century brought it much more attention...

What are your favorite WW 5tets??

My favorites, over the years, many many performances -

Hindemith - Kleine Kammermusik
Nielsen - 5tet

also -
Ibert - Trois Oieces Breve
Arnold -3 Shanties
Ligeti - 6 Bagatelles

several of the Danzi, and Reicha 5tets are most enjoyable as well.


----------



## starthrower

Elliott Carter ##


----------



## pcnog11

I do not have a favourite. However, my favourite woodwind piece is Mozart Clarinet concerto. This is a late composition. The second movement seems to me that Mozart knew that his life is toward the end. Sad but elegantly written, wonderful composition. Good stuff!


----------



## hpowders

Put me down in the Nielsen Woodwind Quintet camp.


----------



## Vasks

The one Romantic one I know is a humdinger = Taffanel


----------



## Vasks

Now for 20th Century I really like all four of these


----------



## Pugg

pcnog11 said:


> I do not have a favourite. However, my favourite woodwind piece is Mozart Clarinet concerto. This is a late composition. The second movement seems to me that Mozart knew that his life is toward the end. Sad but elegantly written, wonderful composition. Good stuff!


I do add +1 to this.


----------



## Heck148

Vasks said:


> The one Romantic one I know is a humdinger = Taffanel


I guess Taffanel could be regarded as Romantic - tho his work leads straight into the French school of the 20th Century - Ibert, Milhaud, Poulenc, Francaix, etc.
Taffanel is a good fine piece...very substantial...


----------



## fluteman

Good choices all. I've had the privilege of playing nearly all of the pieces mentioned, except for the Carter (I did play his quartet for harpsichord, flute, oboe and cello) and the Perle (though I have and enjoy that recording). There are two quintets by Jean Francaix, both very good, though I prefer the earlier and better known one -- more buoyant and good-humored. The Poulenc piece is a sextet for piano and woodwind quintet, a truly great piece, that and the Nielsen would be at the top of my list. Gunther Schuller wrote a couple of good pieces, as did Eugene Bozza. 
Taffanel's wind quintet is almost certainly his best composition. But he was also the top French flutist of his day, as well as the leading flute teacher, and ultimately, chief conductor of the Paris Opera, the top post in the French musical world at the time, so he didn't have much time or energy left for composition. I wouldn't put his fine quintet quite on the level of those of Nielsen, Hindemith, Milhaud or Ibert. Reicha wrote a huge number, as someone mentioned. I'll never get to them all. Danzi's quintets, for me, are less accomplished than those of Reicha, with one outstanding exception, the Op. 56 no. 2, a real masterpiece. (Known by the members of a quintet I was in as "the good Danzi").
Finally, I've noticed that Arnold Schoenberg is a bit of a bete noire in this forum, I hesitate even to mention his name, but his difficult and lengthy woodwind quintet is considered one of his most important works.


----------



## Olias

I love the "Five Easy Dances" by Agay as well as the "Early Hungarian Dances" by Farkas.

On a totally shameless note here is a Wind Quintet that I composed a few years ago. My quintet was recorded here playing it before a church service (I'm the horn player surrounded by four beautiful ladies.......tough gig).


----------



## mmsbls

I love the Ligeti and Nielsen quintets. I didn't know Carter wrote one, but I'll have to listen to it.


----------



## Bruckner Anton

Quintet for woodwinds and piano: Mozart K.452 and Beethoven op.16 are simply best pieces in the genre. There were a few other composers wrote it, but generally forgotten.
Woodwind quintets: as you mentioned Reicha and Danzi featured prominently in this genre. But I don't think there is anything on the same level of the above two masterpieces.


----------



## Triplets

Naxos issued many of the Danzi and Reicha Quintets back in the 90s. I bought a few of those discs but haven't listened for a while


----------



## Heliogabo

Yes, Schoenberg wrote a good one, if you say wind quintet I think on it.


----------



## Heck148

Olias said:


> I love the "Five Easy Dances" by Agay as well as the "Early Hungarian Dances" by Farkas.


Yes, very good pieces, real audience pleasers, too....if you like these, you'd probably like the Suite of Old Lettish Dances [Latvian] by Andrejs Jansons...
also - "Sciarada Spagnuola" [Spanish Charade] by Jurriaan Andriessen


----------



## Heck148

mmsbls said:


> I love the Ligeti and Nielsen quintets. I didn't know Carter wrote one, but I'll have to listen to it.


My favorite Carter Piece for WWs - is 8 Etudes and a Fantasy - [WW 4tet Fl, Ob, Cl, Bn]


----------



## Heck148

Bruckner Anton said:


> Quintet for woodwinds and piano: Mozart K.452 and Beethoven op.16 are simply best pieces in the genre. There were a few other composers wrote it, but generally forgotten.
> Woodwind quintets: as you mentioned Reicha and Danzi featured prominently in this genre. But I don't think there is anything on the same level of the above two masterpieces.


Right, they are great pieces, esp the Mozart - but they are of a different genre - works with WWs and piano.


----------



## Olias

Haydn's Divertimento in Bb for Wind Quintet is also a great four movement wind quintet.


----------



## QuietGuy

Barber's WW Quintet is a good piece


----------



## Heck148

QuietGuy said:


> Barber's WW Quintet is a good piece


Right - "Summer Music" - very fine work.


----------



## fluteman

Agreed. I forgot to mention Barber's Summer Music. And I greatly enjoy the Farkas piece mentioned above. The Allegro and Arioso by Ingolf Dahl (an underrated composer imho) is very good too.


----------



## Vasks

Hey cut me some slack, Heck ;-). The Taffanel was composed in 1876.

Meanwhile here's a 3 record set of 20th century WW quintets that I have. Much to like here (and despite its title some of these are fairly conservative).

_Ignore the blue string quartet box..how the hell it's there is beyond me_


----------



## Heck148

Vasks said:


> Meanwhile here's a 3 record set of 20th century WW quintets that I have. Much to like here (and despite its title some of these are fairly conservative).


looks good - the Irving Fine "Partita" is a very good work - sounds like Stravinsky, in the "Rake's Progress" style...


----------



## fluteman

Heck148 said:


> looks good - the Irving Fine "Partita" is a very good work - sounds like Stravinsky, in the "Rake's Progress" style...


Yes, very much agree on the Irving Fine Partita. And the original Dorian Quintet was a great group. I got to know Jane Taylor, the original bassoonist, and she was a great lady and excellent musician.


----------



## Brahmsian Colors

Mozart K 452...Get the performance by members of the Vienna Octet :cheers:


----------

