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La Cheminée du Roi Rêne, op. 205, for wind quintet
Milhaud
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Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) was one of the most prolific composers of modern times. He wrote a vast quantity of music in all genres, and a good sampling of his output has entered the standard repertory.
The wind quintet Cheminée du Roi Rêne (King Rene’s Fireside), written in 1939, was derived from music Milhaud wrote for a French film, The Cavalcade of Love. The suite’s seven brief sections deal with life in Medieval times, but the music is pure Milhaud – tuneful, amusing, technically accomplished but making no undue demands on the listener’s intellect. It is pure “fun music,” sparkling like some fine French wine.
The opening “Procession” manages to sound both stately and perky at the same time. The “Morning Song” features a pleasant flute theme and the “Jugglers” movement a sprightly oboe tune. “La Maousinglade” is a songlike piece in moderate tempo. The fifth piece concerns an archery contest and hunting-horns are cleverly suggested in the sixth. The final piece begins with a stately theme, but toward the end a little duet for flute and clarinet might justify the “nocturne” label.
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Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat, k. 452
Mozart
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This superb work, which seems to exemplify everything that makes Mozart Mozart, was written in the extraordinary year of 1784 – a year in which Mozart produced no fewer than 12 of his masterly piano concertos in addition to a number of other major works. Beethoven used this work as a model 13 years later when he composed his own quintet in the same key for the same five instruments.
The first movement begins with an extended ceremonial introduction, which shows off the four wind instruments in turn before the piano proposes the main theme. The genial second theme is just as memorable and the movement as a whole shows a perfect integration of the five players as equal partners. It is never a soloist-with-accompaniment piece, always a true five-way partnership.
The slow movement begins with one of those lovely Mozart lyrical themes that sounds almost like an operatic aria. It is developed with a series of beautiful wind solos over piano accompaniment, each player having his say briefly but then joining his partners in a true ensemble. There are moments of genuine lyrical pathos, but always a sense of music as truly “singing on instruments.”
The sprightly finale in rondo form gives the main theme to the piano, immediately taken up by the winds. Toward the end Mozart writes out a short “cadenza in tempo” for all the players before the final restatement of the rondo theme.
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Trio on Irish Folk Tunes
Frank Martin
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Swiss composer Frank Martin (pronounced Mar-TANH) wrote this work in 1925 on commission from a wealthy American patron of Irish ancestry. Upon receiving the score, however, the patron found it “too modern and difficult” and was further displeased that it did not contain any of his own favorite Irish tunes. He withdrew his commission – but Martin had the work published anyway. He had become fascinated with the Irish tunes he found while researching the subject at the National Library in Paris.
Martin said he avoided any “abuse” of the Irish tunes, always presenting them in complete form and without “falsifying harmonies.” His main concern was rhythmic combinations achieved by sometimes layering the tunes on top of one another, and by changes in tempo.
The first movement begins with slow piano chords, preceding the entry of the first Irish tune. The tempo gradually accelerates until the movement ends in a vigorous fortissimo. The second movement begins with a plaintive cello melody around which the piano weaves its own line and the violin imposes a second melody. The cello theme is a nearly continuous presence for the rest of the movement, with decorative embellishments from the piano leading to a quiet close. The final movement is a spirited Irish jig. Introduction of a contrasting idea then leads, via a long crescendo, to the headlong frenzied finish, with a final spirited flourish from the piano in the last measure.
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Wind Quintet no. 2(1987)
Françaix
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Jean Françaix (who died in 1997) was one of those many composers who studied with the legendary Nadia Boulanger in Paris . This quintet is a well-nigh perfect example of the wit, elegance and expert craftsmanship that are his stylistic hallmarks. It was commissioned by the Aulos Wind Quintet, which has recorded it. Françaix wrote it at the age of 75, some 35 years after his first wind quintet.
For some unexplained reason – perhaps it is a private joke – Francaix gave tempo markings in conventional Italian style for three of the four movements, but the third movement (the slow movement) is prefaced by a German phrase meaning “without tempo designation.”
The first movement begins with a stately melody that flows along placidly until it is suddenly interrupted by a bright, energetic allegro. The two moods are contrasted and combined, leading to a humorous close. The second movement is also full of jaunty tunefulness, somewhat in the style of Poulenc. The third movement is built on a lovely songful melody announced at the beginning by the oboe and then taken up by the flute. The finale is a kind of witty rapid-fire conversation among the five players, full of playful, good-humored gusto.
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Sextet for Piano and Winds
Poulenc
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If, as some say, there seem to be two composers named Francis Poulenc – one flippant and humorous, the other serious – then both Poulencs are found in this piece. Poulenc wrote it in 1930-1932 and extensively revised it in 1939.
The first movement gives the impression of a slow and sentimental reverie bookended on both sides by jaunty episodes of pure Parisian fun-music. The piece opens with a spirited allegro vivace spurred along by steady chugging rhythms – but then a short bassoon solo introduces the slower central episode, begun by a lovely piano tune of ballad-like sentimentality. Then toward the end the jolly opening mood returns and brings a spirited close.
The second movement begins with a lyric melody begun by the oboe and soon joined by the other winds. This gives way to a sprightly dance-like episode, a sort of miniature scherzo. There is a gradual slowing of the tempo, a return to the opening theme and a reflective close in the minor mode.
The finale is a clever mixture of chattery woodwind badinage with lyrical interludes. Toward the close the oboe offers a wistful tune that grows into an extended episode of sentimental lament. There is a gradual crescendo to the final bars.
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Program Notes by Robert Finn
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About the Artists
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