# Anton Reicha's Wind Quintets



## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

I've been working my way through all 24 of Reicha's wind quintets and I've noticed that all of them are equally good in terms of quality, structure, content, etc.

For some reason though, Opus 88 #2 seems to be REALLY popular at the expense of all the others. Don't get me wrong, Opus 88 #2 is fantastic, but so are the other 23. So, two questions:

1) Does anyone know why Opus 88 #2 is so often performed at the expense of the others?

2) Does anyone have a personal favorite OTHER than 88/2 that should get more attention?


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Apparently no Reicha fans here. Oh well, please return to the endless saturation of tiresome "Top 10" threads.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Hmm, I've enjoyed Reicha's quintets for longer than some here have been alive -- I encountered them first on the Musical Heritage Society label when it was a club that sent you records each month unless you were alert enough to refuse them in advance. Just like (remember it?) the Columbia Record Club.

Reicha was also a good friend of Beethoven and wrote the first work I'm aware of notated entirely in quintuple time -- one of a large set of keyboard fugues from about 1803 IIRC.

The quintets are very entertaining and off excellent quality.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Oops ........ xxx


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

HUGE fan of Reicha's wind quintets. My favorites are Op.91 No .1 in C Major, Op.100 No.4 in E minor, Op.91 No.5 in A Major, Op.88 No.1 in E minor, Op.91 No.6 in C minor, and Op.88 No.6 in F Major. Such gorgeous melody lines, such graceful development, such clever interweaving of lines. Sorry I missed your original post on Monday.

But I must admit ... 24? I had no idea there were that many. I have some research to do.

My love goes back to an old DGG album of Bläser der Berliner Philharmoniker. That was, let's see, 1972.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

This is the set I've been listening to (10 CDs with all 24 quintets)

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=9990&name_role1=1&bcorder=1&comp_id=153571


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Yes, there appear to be two sets of the complete wind quintets, the one you own by the Albert Schweitzer Quintet and another boxed set by the Westwood Wind Quintet (12 CDs). Both boxed are pretty $pendy.

Then there are less-than-full sets by the Michael Thompson Wind Quartet, Bläser der Berliner Philharmoniker, Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet and the Reicha(!) Wind Quintet.

I am familiar with (own) the latter. Are the full sets comparably competently confidently played?


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Also, do me a huge favor & post the list of complete quintets? Op. 88, 91, 100 No.s what, 1-6 in each? Are there others?


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

NoCoPilot said:


> Also, do me a huge favor & post the list of complete quintets? Op. 88, 91, 100 No.s what, 1-6 in each? Are there others?


Reicha wrote 25 woodwind quintets that we know of. You can find a list with opus numbers and key signatures *here*.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

I'm not sure about the Westwood set because I haven't heard it but the Albert Schweitzer Quintet cycle is excellent.

There were four sets of six plus one alone.

Six Wind Quintets (E minor, E-flat major, G major, D minor, B-flat major, F major), Op. 88 (Paris, 1817)
Six Wind Quintets (C major, A minor, D major, G minor, A major, C minor), Op. 91 (Paris, c. 1817-19)
Six Wind Quintets (C major, F minor, F major, D major, B minor, G major), Op. 99 (Paris, 1819)
Six Wind Quintets (F major, D minor, E-flat major, E minor, A minor, B-flat major), Op. 100 (Paris, 1820)
Four movements for wind quintet [Wind Quintet No. 25] in F minor (before 1826, possibly 1811)


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Is any other of Reicha’s music as gorgeous as his wind quintets?


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

NoCoPilot said:


> Is any other of Reicha's music as gorgeous as his wind quintets?


I love his clarinet concerto.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Very pretty. Can't say it shows the brilliance of the quintets though.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

NoCoPilot said:


> Is any other of Reicha's music as gorgeous as his wind quintets?


I recently enjoyed his piano quintet





and his spiritual music is also worth hearing


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

NoCoPilot said:


> Also, do me a huge favor & post the list of complete quintets? Op. 88, 91, 100 No.s what, 1-6 in each? Are there others?


01. Op.88 No.1 - e moll 
02. Op.88 No.2 - Es dur 
03. Op.88 No.3 - G dur
04. Op.88 No.4 - d moll
05. Op.88 No.5 - B dur
06. Op.88 No.6 - F dur
07. Op.91 No.1 - C dur 
08. Op.91 No.2 - a moll
09. Op.91 No.3 - D dur
10. Op.91 No.4 - g moll
11. Op.91 No.5 - A dur
12. Op.91 No.6 - C dur
13. Op.99 No.1 - C dur 
14. Op.99 No.2 - f moll
15. Op.99 No.3 - A dur
16. Op.99 No.4 - D dur
17. Op.99 No.5 - b moll
18. Op.99 No.6 - g moll
19. Op.100 No.1 - F dur 
20. Op.100 No.2 - d moll
21. Op.100 No.3 - Es dur
22. Op.100 No.4 - e moll
23. Op.100 No.5 - a moll
24. Op.100 No.6 - B dur
25 o.op. - f moll


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

I think #19 (Op.100 No.1) is my new favorite.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

I had professional WW5tets going for years, both in New York and in Massachusetts....
the Op 88/2 was one of our standards...it is a neat piece, and a big audience favorite...the last mvt Rondo is rather like a circus march for 5tet!!...great bassoon part, fun and it can be challenging...I played it 100s of times....
we did perform some of the others....but we kept returning to the Eb...it just seemed to work the best...
if you like the Reicha 5tets, I highly recommend the Danzi we 5tets as well....3 different sets, iirc...similar style to Reicha, lots of fun, good listening, enjoyable to play.


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