Tag: Trombone

In its beginnings, music was merely chamber music, meant to be listened to in a small space by a small audience.
— Gustav Mahler

So wrote the great man himself…surprising given most of his works were vast scores, many of which involved huge numbers of musicians. Yet Gustav Mahler summed up the importance of chamber music and the impact it had on all forms of classical music and performers. Today, Phil and I talk about one small area of chamber music repertoire – quintets. As you’ll hear during the programme, a quintet comes in many shapes and sizes (of instruments) creating a huge treasure trove of glorious music for us to enjoy. Here’s just a small sample to whet your appetite…

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
String Quintet No 2 in Bb Flat Major op 87 Movt I: Allegro Vivace
Doric Quartet, Timothy Ridout (viola)

Jean Francaix (1912-1997)
Wind Quintet No 2 (1987) Movt 5: Allegrissimo
Bergen Wind Quintet

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Piano Quintet in C Minor Movt II: Andante
Faberge Quintet, Yoko Kikuchi (piano)

Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)
Brass Quintet No 1 Op 73 Movt III: Con Brio
Munich Brass

Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist, conductor, teacher, and one of the most-celebrated figures of the early Romantic period.

In the last decade of his life Felix Mendelssohn juggled obligations in London, Berlin, and Leipzig so in 1844 he took an extended holiday and moved to Frankfurt where he focussed on composing. It was here that Mendelssohn wrote his Second String Quintet. Mendelssohn considered it, “not good” so was published posthumously in 1851. Fortunately for us, the quintet is now appreciated today as a strong chamber work from the latter end of the composer’s life.

Jean Françaix studied as a child with the great Nadia Boulanger who was amazed at his early prowess. Among her students were many important composers, soloists, arrangers, and conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Elliott Carter, Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, Quincy Jones and Astor Piazzolla. Francaix’s style remained in the neo-classical tradiiton of Stravinsky and Les Six and his abundant Gallic wit and charm, along with the the fluency of his writing, is apparent in this virtuosic movement from his Wind Quintet No 2 which displays unrestrained inspiration and a total mastery of his art.

Unlike Mendelssohn and Francaix, Ralph Vaughan Williams was not a composing prodigy. He studied composition for two years at the RCM and then read History and Music at Cambridge. Though drawn to composing, progress was slow but he persevered and returned to the RCM as a student of Hubert Parry, forming lasting friendships with Leopold Stokowski and Gustav Holst. The C minor Piano Quintet, though first performed in 1905, was only published in 2002. It had been withdrawn by the composer and, upon Vaughan Williams‘ death, his widow Ursula donated the unpublished manuscripts to the British Library. It was performed in 1999 – its first documented performance since 1918.

Malcolm Arnold’s Brass Quintet is a milestone in brass chamber music and is credited with helping to standardise the instrumentation for the brass quintet. It was commissioned by the New York Brass Quintet and first performed on November 14, 1961 at the New York Town Hall. The work’s direct style, catchy melodies and audience appeal ensured immediate success on both sides of the Atlantic and did much to launch and popularise the medium of brass quintet as a viable recital ensemble. His intimate playing knowledge of brass from his days as a trumpeter with the London Philharmonic Orchestra is revealed by his expert use of tone color and timbre throughout the work. The quintet is remarkable for the virtuosity expected from each player.