BORÉALIS
EN SALON
19TH CENTURY
FRENCH MUSIC FOR WINDS
Claude-Paul Taffanel ~ Adolphe Édouard Marie
Deslandres
André Georges Louis Onslow ~ Charles Édouard Lefebvre
THE BOREALIS
WIND QUINTET
Katherine
Fink flute
Tamar Beach
Wells oboe
Kathryn
Taylor clarinet
Dan
Culpepper horn
Wayne
Hileman bassoon
MS1250 ~ $14.95
CRITICS'
CHOICE 2009
Patrick Hanudel, American Record
Guide
"The
excellent Borealis Wind Quintet... All the music is extremely pleasant
listening... treated skillfully."
Turok's
Choice, Issue No.217 ~ January 2010
"...a
release like this reminds you in the bluntest way that even an avid listener can
completely miss out on entire genres and even centuries of enjoyable music.
Unless you are a buff of wind chamber music odds are you haven't heard much 19th
century French wind repertoire. But after hearing the Borealis Wind Quintet
deliver some with elegance and spirit, [you'll] wish that hadn't been the case.
Borealis captures [the music's elegant] ambience with grace as much as it
performs without flaw. The members are all talented, and excellent at
blending..."
Gramophone
~ December 2009
"The challenge in composing a wind quintet is to write for five instruments
that do not automatically blend—unlike a string quintet. However, it can be
done, as shown by these four fine composers and even more so by the warm,
exquisitely balanced playing of The Borealis Wind Quintet. The sound quality is
top notch. In a phrase, très charmante."
Phillip
Scott, Fanfare ~ November / December 2009
"...the
Borealis Quintet is again in top form...When it comes to French wind music of
the late romantic period, one must walk the tightrope between a colorfully
transparent texture and heartfelt sentiment, but Borealis accomplishes that with
ease... Borealis boasts five accomplished professionals who think and play as
one unit. They integrate their personalities into a natural and effortless
soundscape, yet keep them just separate enough to engage in a sincere and
energetic musical dialog. Their meticulous attention to rhythm, balance,
intonation reflects a profound knowledge of each piece, and their willingness to
push the envelope on tempo and dynamics points to shared artistic thoughts as
well as a refreshing philosophy of risk-taking so rare in chamber ensembles,
especially wind groups."
American
Record Guide ~ November / December 2009
"...the
Borealis perform well as a unit. It’s always a good sign when you can hear an
ensemble breathe as one. The beginning of the Taffanel creates a dark, brooding
character to the typical sonata-form movement. Despite a narrow range of
dynamics there is clean articulation, great shifts in tone colour and a fabulous
blend between the clarinet, horn and bassoon... The Borealis delivers the vast
majority of the music with character, energy and great ensemble playing..."
Sabrina
Pullen, MusicWeb International ~ October 2009
The
end of the nineteenth century was an exciting era of musical development and
innovation. Composers and performers were expanding their artistic boundaries to
create new musical forms and more vivid expressions. It was a particularly
significant turning point for woodwind players because the technical
improvements to their instruments made it possible to perform with greater
virtuosity and enhanced tone. Composers were freed from the former demands of
nobleman’s patronage and restrictions of the church and began to write serious
chamber music for wind ensembles, using each instrument as a fully integrated
voice. The French were bold leaders in the transformation of wind playing,
especially the Paris Conservatory, which encouraged new solo compositions and
prizes for wind instruments. Organizations such as the Société de Musique de
Chambre pour Instruments à Vent were formed to encourage this new repertoire
and to showcase the virtuosity of the best players. The freshness and
inspiration of this era still shines through the music, making it popular with
audiences and a mainstay of our repertoire. The works on this disc encompass
both the serious and the lighthearted styles of the French salon music and
provide a satisfying combination of color, warmth and style.
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* *
The
Borealis Wind Quintet, nominated
for a 2006 Grammy Award in the Chamber Music Category, is acclaimed as one of
America’s preeminent chamber ensembles. The highest musical integrity,
irresistible energy and five-fold charisma distinguish Borealis in the chamber
music field. Audiences love their exquisite programming that includes the
finest of the classics, engaging commissioned works, opera arias and works for
piano and winds. The Washington Post praised their “sensitive collaborations
that have a sophisticated and cosmopolitan air.” Peter G. Davies of the New
York Times described one concert as “a polished, elegantly turned
performance... each work received lively, expert and musicianly treatment by
this skilled and exceptionally talented chamber group.” Joseph Horowitz, also
of the New York Times describes “lively communicative readings...the
performance was a scintillating one.” The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that “they
demonstrated the sort of rapport that characterizes the very best chamber
playing.”
www.borealiswindquintet.com
*
* *
All
of the selections on this recording are available in published form (score &
parts) through Borealis
Select Editions—a
collaboration of The Borealis Wind Quintet and Cimarron Music Press.
Visit
www.cimarronmusic.com for more information.
