Dubugnon, Taffanel, Holst and Françaix: Wind Quintets Monet Quintett

• Richard Dubugnon (b. 1968):
• 1Dubugnon: Frenglish Suite Op. 1914:05
• Paul Taffanel (1844 - 1908): Wind Quintet in G Minor:
• 2Paul Taffanel: Wind Quintet: I. Allegretto con moto08:55
• 3Paul Taffanel: Wind Quintet: II. Andante05:44
• 4Paul Taffanel: Wind Quintet: III. Vivace07:27
• Gustav Holst (1884 - 1934): Wind Quintet in A-Flat Major, Op. 114:
• 5Holst: Quintet in A-Flat Major, Op. 14, H. 67: I. Allegro moderato03:56
• 6Holst: Quintet in A-Flat Major, Op. 14, H. 67: II. Adagio04:05
• 7Holst: Quintet in A-Flat Major, Op. 14, H. 67: III. Minuet (in Canon)02:09
• 8Holst: Quintet in A-Flat Major, Op. 14, H. 67: IV. Air and Variations03:48
• Jean Françaix (1912 - 1997): Wind Quintet, No. 1:
• 9Françaix: Wind Quintet No. 1: I. Andante tranquillo. Allegro assai04:13
• 10Françaix: Wind Quintet No. 1: II. Presto04:24
• 11Françaix: Wind Quintet No. 1: III. Tema con variazioni06:24
• 12Françaix: Wind Quintet No. 1: IV. Temo di marchia francese03:57
• Total Runtime01:09:07

Info for Dubugnon, Taffanel, Holst and Françaix: Wind Quintets

The debut album from the Monet Quintett featuring rare Wind Quintets by Dubugnon, Taffanel, Holst and Francaix.

The woodwind quintet is probably the only instrumental combination in chamber music that can claim to have been invented twice. The colourful combination of flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon was quite popular in 18th-century noble courts, probably due to its refreshing sonority reminiscent of serenade music: composers felt inspired to write a great number of works.

Swiss composer Richard Dubugnon's Frenglish Suite (1997) was inspired and influenced by several British and French composers. In the late 1800s, French flutist and composer Paul Taffanel devotedly started to create chamber music societies with the intention of reviving music of the past – an uncommon initiative in those times, and therefore much to his credit.

British composer Gustav Holst's Late Romantic Quintet in A Flat Major Op. 14 is not as well known, but sheds light on other aspects of this instrumental combination: en lieu of virtuosity, it features a great variety of harmonies and timbres, similarly to what Taffanel had sought in his slow movement.

Jean Françaix likewise possessed thorough knowledge of all five instruments and applied it specifically in his Quintet No. 1, with the goal of attaining a "high level of difficulty", as he remarked himself. Although Françaix wrote the piece in 1948, it was not until 1954 that five woodwind players of the Orchestre National in Paris drummed up the courage to perform the work in public after having reportedly "gone into confinement" for several months to practice it."

Monet Quintett

Monet Quintett
The members of the Monet Wind Quintet met one another early on, when they were still members of the German National Youth Orchestra. It was not until 2014, however, that they founded their ensemble while studying in several different German universities of music. In the meantime, all five have become members of prominent orchestras; chamber music nevertheless remains their greatest passion. The close- knit ensemble meets as often as possible for intense rehearsals and concert schedules, congregating from all over Germany. The Monet Wind Quintet is a regular guest at renowned chamber music festivals including Heidelberg Spring and Davos. Apart from having won the third Prize at the Lyon International Chamber Music Competition, the ensemble was twice chosen for a scholarship by the German Music Competition and thereby admitted into the German National Young Artist Concert Selection in 2016 and 2019. 

Booklet for Dubugnon, Taffanel, Holst and Françaix: Wind Quintets