Search - Francis Poulenc, Jacques Ibert, Darius Milhaud :: French Music for Wind Quintet

Fine French Wind Quintet Music

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 02/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The wind quintet made up of the principal players of the Danish National Symphony are fairly well-known from their earlier recordings. And Ralf Gothóni, who joins them for Poulenc's Sextet for Piano and Winds, is a strikingly sensitive pianist, particularly in chamber settings. The program itself is very strong; it comprises basically the core of 20th-century French wind quintet literature: the Poulenc Sextet, Ibert's 'Trois Pièces brèves,' Françaix's First Wind Quintet, and Milhaud's 'Le Cheminée du roi René.' All of these are marvelous pieces, although I must say that the Milhaud, except for its closing 'Chasse à Valabre' and 'Madrigal - Nocturne,' has always seemed bit boring for me; this performance does nothing to change that impression. But that's not the fault of the players. Otherwise, though, this CD has much to recommend it, both musically and in the performances.



Although all these pieces have been recorded many times before, it is very nice to have all these pieces on the same CD. I don't recall them being coupled quite this way before. I welcome that. And, of course, there is Naxos's budget price as an added benefit.



TT=58:53



Scott Morrison"