Wind Quintet (Nielsen)
Carl Nielsen's Wind Quintet or, more correctly, the Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, French Horn and Bassoon, Op. 43, was composed early in 1922 in Gothenburg, Sweden, where it was first performed privately at the home of Herman and Lisa Mannheimer on 30 April 1922.
Background
According to his biographer Torben Meyer, Carl Nielsen composed the wind quintet after hearing the Copenhagen Wind Quintet (flautist: Paul Hagemann, oboist: Svend C. Felumb, clarinettist: Aage Oxenvad, hornist: Hans Sørensen, bassoonist: Knud Lassen) playing a piece by Mozart. It was these musicians he specifically had in mind when he wrote the piece.[1]
British composer and biographer Robert Simpson writes, "Nielsen’s fondness of wind instruments is closely related to his love of nature, his fascination for living, breathing things. He was also intensely interested in human character, and in the Wind Quintet composed deliberately for five friends, each part is cunningly made to suit the individuality of each player."[2]
Music
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Wind Quintet, Op. 43
1. Allegro ben moderato
 2. Menuetto
3. Praeludium: Adagio. Tema con variazioni: Un poco andantino
Performed by James Galway (flute) with the Carion quintet
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In a programme note, Nielsen himself provided a description of the work: "The quintet for winds is one of the composer’s latest works, in which he has attempted to render the characters of the various instruments. At one moment they are all talking at once, at another they are quite alone. The work consists of three movements: a) Allegro, b) Minuet and c) Prelude – Theme with Variations. The theme for these variations is the melody for one of C.N.’s spiritual songs, which has here been made the basis of a set of variations, now merry and quirky, now elegiac and serious, ending with the theme in all its simplicity and very quietly expressed."[1]
The first movement is in sonata form, the second is a minuet with a rustic quality and the third opens with a short Praeludium followed by a set of variations. In the Praeludium, the oboe is replaced by the cor anglais, providing a different tone colour to an already colourful work. The variations are based on Nielsen’s own chorale tune Min Jesus, lad min Hjerte faa en saaden Smag paa dig (My Jesus, make my heart to love thee).[2]
Reception
The first public performance was on 9 October 1922 in the smaller hall at the Odd Fellows Mansion in Copenhagen. It was performed by the five musicians mentioned in the Copenhagen Wind Quintet. The reviews were positive. Berlinske Tidende mentioned the work's "manly seriousness, rhythmic grace, fertile humour... The theme turned out to be Carl Nielsen’s beautiful melody for the hymn My Jesus, let my heart receive (Min Jesus, lad mit Hjerte faa from Halvthundrede Salmer) – only one line of music, but the longing and devotion of a mind are released in these few bars." It concluded that "the members of the Wind Quintet gave the new work an excellent performance and were rewarded with the warmest applause."[1]
The wind quintet was frequently played during the composer’s lifetime, including a performance at the International Music Week in Berlin on 29 March 1923.[1]
Performances today
On the basis of information from the Carl Nielsen Society, the Wind Quintet is one of Nielsen's most widely performed works, both in Scandinavia and the rest of the world.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Carl Nielsen: Chamber Music 2", Carl Nielsen Edition, Royal Danish Library. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Carl Nielsen: Quintet for Wind Instruments, Op.43 (1922)", Sierra Chamber Society Program Notes. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ↑ "Performances", Carl Nielsen Society. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
External links
- Wind Quintet, Op. 43: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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