press kit - David Rowe Artists

This press book contains (in order):
• Artist bio
• Press excerpts
• Discography
• Full reviews (beginning with the
most recent)
• Feature articles
• High-resolution photos
(download from website here)
NOTES: When searching for suitable pullquotes, be sure to check through the “Full
reviews” section. The “Press excerpts” are not
comprehensive, and do not necessarily display
the best selections.
David Rowe Artists
24 Bessom Street, Suite 4, Marblehead, MA 01945 USA
Tel: 781.639.2442 Fax: 781.639.2680 DavidRowe@aol.com
www.davidroweartists.com
BERLIN PHILHARMONIC WIND QUINTET
Michael Hasel, flute
Andreas Wittmann, oboe
Walter Seyfarth, clarinet
Fergus McWilliam, horn
Marion Reinhard, bassoon
The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet (Philharmonisches Bläserquintett Berlin) was founded in 1988,
during the era of Herbert von Karajan, the first permanently established wind quintet in the famous
orchestra's rich tradition of chamber music.
With four original members since inception (Marion Reinhard succeeded founding bassoonist Henning
Trog in 2009), they are living musical witnesses to the hugely productive and influential musical
partnerships of the Berlin Philharmonic not only with Karajan, but also with its two most recent Musical
Directors: Claudio Abbado and Sir Simon Rattle. Naturally, as members of the Berlin Philharmonic, they
have also enjoyed important collaborations with every other major conductor of their times, whether
Leonard Bernstein, Carlos Kleiber, Sir John Barbirolli, Günter Wand, Carlo Maria Giulini, Bernard
Haitink, Riccardo Muti, James Levine or Daniel Barenboim, to name only a few.
The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet continues to astonish audiences worldwide with their range of
expression, their tonal spectrum and their conceptual unity. Indeed many listeners and critics agree that
the ensemble has succeeded in virtually redefining the sound of the classic wind quintet. Their repertoire
covers not only the entire spectrum of the wind quintet literature but also includes works for enlarged
ensemble, i.e. the Sextets of Janáček and Reinicke or the Septets of Hindemith and Koechlin. In addition,
collaboration with pianists such as Lars Vogt, Stephen Hough, Jon Nakamatsu and Lilya Zilberstein have
intensified in recent years.
The ensemble's commitment to the wind quintet repertoire is passionate and in 1991 they found the
perfect partner for their recording plans, the Swedish company BIS Records, already well known in its
own right for its uncompromising standards. The results of this long and exclusive collaboration have
received critical accolades worldwide - indeed many of these recordings are already widely held to be
"definitive" or "reference" performances.
In addition to their concert appearances throughout Europe, North and South America, Israel, Australia
and the Far East, the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet are also popular guests at international festivals
such as the Berliner Festwochen, the Edinburgh Festival, the London Proms, the Quintette-Biennale
Marseille, the Rheingau Festival and the Salzburg Festival. Their television productions and radio
broadcasts are seen and heard throughout Europe, Asia and North America.
In recent years the members of the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet have intensified their teaching and
coaching roles with youth; they give chamber music workshops and instrumental instruction in many
countries, with a particular commitment, for example, to the youth orchestra program of Venezuela.
May, 2016 – please discard any previous material
Individual biographies
Michael Hasel (flute) was born in Hofheim near Frankfurt and began conducting, piano and organ studies,
intending to graduate as a church musician. His first flute teachers were Herbert Grimm and Willy Schmidt and he
went on to study piano and conducting with Prof. Francis Travis and flute with Aurèle Nicolet at the Freiburg
Musikhochschule. He completed his conducting studies with Prof. Michael Gielen.
Michael Hasel's first orchestral appointment as flutist was from 1982 to 1984 with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Orchestra, after which he became a member of the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan.
For several years he performed as principal flute with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra under conductors such as
Daniel Barenboim, Pièrre Boulez and James Levine. In 1994 he was appointed Professor of Wind Ensemble and
Chamber Music at the Heidelberg-Mannheim Musikhochschule.Both as conductor and soloist Michael Hasel has
appeared in Europe, Japan and South America with renowned ensembles such as Ensemble Modern, the Junge
Deutsche Philharmonie, the Gustav Mahler Chamber Orchester, Orchestra Simon Bolivar and the Berliner
Philharmoniker.
Andreas Wittmann (oboe), was born in Munich. He studied oboe at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich with Prof.
Manfred Clement and later at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin with Hansjörg Schellenberger. In Munich he
studied conducting with Prof. Hermann Michael and participated in conducting masterclasses with Sergiu
Celibidache.Wittmann spent only one year as a scholarship student at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy
before being appointed to the Berlin Philharmonic itself in 1986. He is an internationally active soloist, chamber
musician and teacher, whose career has also included performing as Principal Oboe with the Bayreuth Festival
Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic. He taught at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy for several years
before becoming it's General Manager in 2013. Wittmann is currently Permanent Guest Conductor of Brazil's
Orquesta Sinfónica Salvador de Bahia. He regularly conducts the Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, as well as the SibeliusOrchester of Berlin.
Walter Seyfarth (Clarinet) is a native of Düsseldorf and was a first prize winner at the age of sixteen in the
Deutscher Tonkünstlerverband competition. Following his studies at the Freiburg Musikhochschule with Peter
Rieckhoff and with Karl Leister at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy, he was appointed to the Saarbrücken
Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 1985, he joined the Berlin Philharmonic as Solo Eb-Clarinettist. It was Seyfarth who
was the driving force behind the founding of the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet in 1988. He is also a member of
the larger ensemble "The Winds of the Berlin Philharmonic". Among his teaching and mentoring responsibilities are
the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy, the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra and the Venezuelan Youth
Orchestras Programme, El Sistema.
Fergus McWilliam (horn) was born on the shores of Scotland's Loch Ness and studied initially in Canada (John
Simonelli, Frederick Rizner, and at the University of Toronto with Eugene Rittich), having made his début as a
soloist with the Toronto Symphony under Seiji Ozawa at the age of fifteen. Further studies were undertaken in
Amsterdam (Adriaan van Woudenberg) and Stockholm (Wilhelm Lanzky-Otto). From 1972 through 1979
McWilliam was a member of several Canadian orchestras and chamber music ensembles before joining the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra. From 1982 to 1985 he was a member of the Bavarian Radio Symphony and in 1985 he was
appointed to the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan. He is not only active internationally as a soloist
and chamber musician but teaches at a number of internationally renowned music schools, including the Berlin
Philharmonic Orchestra Academy. He has worked with the Venezuelan youth music programme El Sistema for a
decade and now is a Board Director of Sistema Scotland. McWilliam served on Berliner Philharmoniker committees
for 23 years and is the author of the acclaimed book "Blow Your OWN Horn".
Marion Reinhard (bassoon) was born in Nuremberg (Nürnberg) and from 1991 to 1995 studied at the Meistersinger
Conservatory with Walter Urbach and Karsten Nagel. While still only a student, she began performing with the
Nuremberg Philharmonic Orchestra as Contra Bassoonist. In 1995 she won a scholarship to study at the Berlin
Philharmonic Orchestra Academy with Stefan Schweigert and Daniele Damiano. Further studies with Georg
Kluetsch in Weimar rounded out her musical training and in 1999 Marion Reinhard was appointed to the Berlin
Philharmonic where she became a direct colleague of Henning Trog. From 1996 until her appointment to the Berlin
Philharmonic Wind Quintet, she was a founding member of the Orsolino Wind Quintet, an ensemble which was
mentored by Michael Hasel. They won many international prizes, including the Munich A.R.D. Competition and also
made numerous recordings.
EXCERPTS FROM THE PRESS
(NOTE: When searching for suitable pull-quotes, be sure to check through the “Full
reviews” section. The “Press excerpts” are not comprehensive, and do not
necessarily display the best selections.)
“Breathtakingly perfect…an astonishing experience.”
—The Herald (Glasgow, Scotland)
“A beautifully turned performance...vividly evocative.”
—Washington Post
“Superlative music making….dazzlingly virtuosic”
—Sydney Morning Herald
“Authoritative and technically impeccable.”
—Buffalo News
“The ensemble shone in the light of their individual and collective virtuosity.”
—Anchorage Daily News
“Superb….Dazzling…Astonishing…in shifts of tempo and dynamics, I doubt a strand of hair could have been put
between the sound of one player and another.”
—Indianapolis Star
“Superb…Pure-toned instrumental textures, smoothly blended ensemble and sterling musicianship…marvelous.”
—Chicago Tribune
"These are performances of integrity and technical accomplishment. This is real chamber music ... irresistible."
—BBC Music Magazine
"Extraordinary precision... a dazzling reading. This ensemble makes a rich, wonderfully blended sound, synchronizes
perfectly in the most devilishly difficult of passages and generally plays like a great string quartet"
—American Record Guide
“The ensemble remains as virtuosic and skilled a unit as any on the chamber music circuit.”
—Los Angeles Times
“It is rare to hear man perfectly integrated with music - when the two are so inextricably linked, so aware yet
selfless, that distinctions between them are rendered meaningless. Such communion was achieved by the Berlin
Philharmonic Wind Quintet. It was a concert not to be forgotten.”
—Washington Post
“To hear the Berliners play with such precision, resilience and so much expressive detail was a musical treat.”
—Montreal Gazette
“Easily the very best wind quintet I have ever heard.”
—The Newsletter (Belfast)
"The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet are faultless. Recommended with enthusiasm."
—Gramophone
“This group, drawing together five players from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, offers everything such a distinguished
pedigree would lead you to expect in terms of technical polish, intonational purity and musical refinement. The performances had
in delightful abundance that sense of easy give-and-take among friends which characterizes chamber music at the highest level.”
IRISH TIMES
“Their New Town concert, a beautifully planned programme which began with the coolly formal and ended in sassy rioting,
presented musicians of remarkable range —players accustomed to expanding lines so as to stretch the walls of awe-inspiring
auditoriums, yet as chamber musicians able to share phrases of shivering intimacy.”
THE SCOTSMAN (Glasgow/Edinburgh - 18.11.97)
"Wonderfully detailed colourations, prismatically rich and transparent, as well as a near orchestral range of expression...the
encores lacked nothing in spice, above all Luciano Berio's "Opus Number Zoo". Who could say in which role the players were
more brilliant: as acting musicians or as musical actors? Cabaret standard, certainly."
Berliner Tagesspiegel
"Incomparable the unity of phrasing, the security of intonation, the attention to detail...the unity of purpose, the plasticity and
compactness. The Berliners play Hindemith's "Kleine Kammermusik" as if it were written just for them. The magic of perfection
spread its mantel through the hall."
Sud-Kurier
"Mozart's solemn, fugal Fantasy in F minor offered the Quintet constant opportunity - through homogeniety of sound, beautiful
phrasing and stylistically mature interpretation -to lend the work considerable dignified noblesse. Hindemith's "Kleine
Kammermusik" was a lively, relaxed, charming conversation performed with an amusing light-heartedness and virtuosic bravura
that is today perhaps only attainable by such Berlin Philharmonic musicians."
Berliner Morgenpost
"Those players, from the Berlin Philharmonic, have this relatively simple music so well in hand that they could
afford to play with it a bit, with gratifying results at every turn. These little pieces could turn Mozart-lovers into
lovers of Mozart-loving Danzi. Strongly recommended."
Fanfare
BERLIN PHILHARMONIC WIND QUINTET
Discography
as of 4/2012
(Note: all recordings are on the BIS label—distributed in North America by Qualiton Imports)
MLÁDI CD-1802
Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet; Hendrik Heilmann, Piano; Manfred Preis, Bass Clarinet
Anton Reicha Quintet in E flat major op.88, no.2 (1811), Bohuslav Martinů Sextet for piano and winds, H174
(1929), Anton Reicha Three pieces for Cor Anglais and Wind Quartet (1817-1819), Leoš Janáček Pochod modráčků
for Piccolo and Piano JW7/9 (1924), Leoš Janáček Mládí (Youth) Suite for Wind Sextet JW7/10 (1924)
DANSES ET DIVERTISSEMENTS
SACD-1532
Paul Taffanel Quintette; Francis Poulenc Sextet for piano and winds (Stephen Hough, piano); André Jolivet
Sérénade; Henri Tomasi Cinq Danses Profanes et Sacrées
MOZART/BEETHOVEN: Quintets for Piano and Winds
(Stephen Hough, piano)
CD-1552
”Winter Songs”
CD 1332
DEAN “Winter Songs”. TUUR, Architectonics I. VASKS “music for a deceased friend”. PART Quintettino”.
Nielsen Quintet.
MOZART
Music for Piano and Wind Quintet CD-1132
(Stephen Hough, piano)
Quintet in Eb-Major, KV 452, Adagio & Allegro, KV594, Adagio in Bb, KV 411, Piece for a Musical Clock in Fminor, KV 608, Adagio in C, KV 580a, Andante for a Small Organ Cylinder in F, K 616, Adagio & Rondeau in C,
KV 617.
“Printemps”
CD 536
IBERT Trois Pieces breves, TOMASI Printemps, MILHAUD La cheminée du Roi René for Wind Quintet, Op.
205; KOECHLIN Septuor pour instruments a vent; FRANCAIX Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and
Bassoon; BOZZA Scherzo for Wind Quintet, Op.48
“Summer Music”
CD 952
BARBER Summer Music; CARTER Quintet; SCHULLER Suite; MACHALA American Folk Suite;
MEDAGLIA Suite “Belle Epoque in Sud-America”; VILLA-LOBOS Quintette in forme de Choros;
PITOMBEIRA Ajubete jepe amo mbae; MEDAGLIA Suite popular brasileira
”L’Autunno”
CD 752
HINDEMITH Kleine Kammermusik, Op. 24/2; HENZE Quintet; HENZE L’autunno; HINDEMITH Septet for
Winds.
DANZI Quintets for Woodwinds, Op. 56 CD 552
Quintet in d minor for Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano
L. Derwinger, piano
DANZI Quintets for Woodwinds, Op. 68 Nos. 1-3 CD 592
Quintet for piano and winds, Op 54 (L. Derwinger, piano)
CD 612
FOERSTER Quintet in F for Wind Instruments, Op. 95; PILSS
Serenade for Wind Quintet; REINECKE
Sextet in B-flat for Winds, Op. 271; ZEMLINSKY Humoresque for Wind Quintet
CD 662
KURTAG Quintet for Wind Quintet; LIGETI Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet; LIGETI Ten Pieces for Wind
Quintet; ORBAN Quintet for Winds; SZERVANSZKY Quintet No. 1 for Winds
Denver Post
October 21, 2011
Friends of Chamber Music's rare woodwind quintet adventurous, engaging
By Sabine Kortals
Special to The Denver Post
While string quartets and piano quintets abound, woodwind quintets are far less common.
That's too bad, because the Berlin Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet proved how five dissimilar sounds
can blend into a smooth, synthesized sonority that lends itself — perhaps surprisingly well — to a
diversity of classical and contemporary repertoire.
Under the auspices of the Friends of Chamber Music, the ensemble made its Colorado debut at Gates
Concert Hall on Thursday, opening with an arrangement of Mozart's Fantasy in F minor for a Clockwork
Organ, K. 594. Most notable and unexpected was the softness and subtlety of the quintet's collective
tone through the work's gentle melodies and understated harmonies.
Likewise in Endre Szervánszky's Wind Quintet No. 1, the group's melange of timbres illuminated the
Hungarian composer's inventive melodic techniques. Suffused by folk-music themes, the work is
engaging and accessible, and clarinetist Walter Seyfarth delivered an especially fluid performance of its
many rapid, scalelike passages.
With bravura, the ensemble then tackled the musical tricks and technical challenges of György Ligeti's
playful Six Bagatelles, a mainstay of the wind- quintet repertoire.
Arguably the highlight of the program, the spirited bagatelles are replete with asymmetrical rhythms, all
of which were delivered with utmost precision by the proficient players. In particular, flutist Michael
Hasel doubled up on piccolo, which added a measure of wit and whimsy to the work's many virtuosic
passages.
After intermission, the adventuresome program continued with Samuel Barber's "Summer Music," in
which the Berliners successfully conveyed the atmosphere of a lazy, languorous season.
Notwithstanding the quintet's fine performance, it seems worth noting that their unity of sound comes
at a price. To a far greater degree than string ensembles, for example, it seems that each member of the
woodwind quintet sacrifices a measure of individuality on their respective instruments in order to
coalesce as a unit. In particular, the horn is less deep and resonant than it's capable of sounding on its
own.
The Friends season continues Dec. 7 with the Claremont Trio and violist Beth Guterman.
Louisville Courier-Journal
October 3, 2010
Berlin quintet a distinctive pleasure: Chamber society opens season
By Andrew Adler
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra has a long tradition of sending ensembles out into the world,
providing its peerless musicians the opportunity to play the chamber literature they
presumably crave, and spreading the brand of what's arguably the finest orchestra on Earth.
Perhaps the best known of these chamber groups is the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet,
which opened the Chamber Music Society of Louisville's 73rd season Sunday at the University
of Louisville School of Music.
It was an afternoon of superlative, vital musicianship. Established in 1988, the quintet now
comprises flutist Michael Hasel, oboist Andreas Wittmann, clarinetist Walter Seyfarth, hornist
Fergus McWilliam (all original members) and bassoonist Marion Reinhard — who took over
last year from the celebrated veteran Henning Trog. Each is a formidable talent. Together they
are as fine a wind ensemble as you're likely to encounter.
The quintet's current American tour has been busy, with a schedule that could well be
exhausting. Remarkably, on Sunday nothing — not a moment — suggested the players were
anything but totally engaged. And because wind quintets are far less ubiquitous than string
quartets, hearing this group in Comstock Concert Hall proved especially pleasurable.
Sunday's repertoire offered a persuasive balance of periods and expressive idioms. The first
two works, by Anton Reicha and Pavel Haas, had the added benefit of being Chamber Music
Society premieres.
There was no danger of rehashing well-trod territory. No matter what the style, the accounts
emerged with sparkling, clean attacks and utterly transparent textures. A work like Reicha's
Quintet in B-flat Major, Op. 88, No. 5 — one of no fewer than 25 wind quintets he composed
alongside Haydn and Beethoven — revealed substantial, evolving detail. The proportions were
generous, yet never overstuffed. Haas' Quintet, Op. 10 was a completely different kind of work
— composed in 1929, how could it not be? The score has its share of dark elements, and these
(particularly amid its Prelude and Epilogue) emerged with genuine, compelling pathos.
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OR
February 3,2010
By Donald Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer
REVIEW - Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet
The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet reflects the ultra-refined style that has been a trademark of this
supreme orchestral ensemble for generations. Interaction is seamless, dynamics are treated to subtle
gradations and tonal resources are lustrous, yet controlled.
The group, which appeared at Trinity Cathedral in October 2007 under the auspices of the Cleveland
Museum of Art's Viva!& Gala Around Town series, returned to the region Tuesday to give a concert for
the Cleveland Chamber Music Society. The program, at Fairmount Temple Auditorium in Beachwood, was
a mix of unfamiliar and beloved pieces.
One of the scheduled works had to be scrapped. Clarinetist Walter Seyfarth, the group's founder, was not
allowed by airport security to take onboard the E-flat clarinet he needed for Pavel Haas Quintet, Op. 10.
It would have been enlightening to hear this score by the Czech composer who died in the Holocaust. But
the substitute, Austrian composer Karl Pilss' Serenade, proved an enchanting series of pastoral and
invigorating encounters. It was Mitten for members of the Vienna Philharmonic - "our competitors," said
homist Fergus McWilliam - and contains waltz motifs that would be very much at home in that music­
crazy city.
Gunther Schuller's three-movement Suite is even more cosmopolitan, with jocular playfulness rubbing
sonic shoulders with bluesy wailing and a toccata whose theme is borrowed from Stravinsky's
"Petrollchka." The quintet's playing blended malleability with crisp attack.
They were sly and alluring in Gyorgy Orban's Quintet, which abounds in quirky marches, mysterious
lyricism (a tick-tocking flute in the second movement) and hints of jazz. After winding its lilting and florid
way through the finale, the score concludes with an endearing upward flourish.
Two titans of the wind-quintet repertoire kept the Berliners happily engaged during the concert's second
half. The bucolic beauty and cheerful brio in Samuel Barber's Summer Music, Op. 31, emerged with
elegant freshness in the ensemble's alert account.
Groups that take up Carl Nielsen's Quintet, Op. 43, don't often offer the repeat in the first-movement, but
the Berlin musicians played the work complete. Charm, poetry and friskiness fill the three movements,
whose finale begins with a dramatic prelude (introduced on English hom by oboist Andreas Wittmann, a
descent of Franz Liszt, the program noted) and a hymn-like chorale leading to solo and ensemble
variations.
The perfOlmance was a model of sophisticated collegiality, with bassoonist Marion Reinhard (the group's
newest member) and flutist Michael Hasel also making sensitive contributions.
At the end, hornist McWilliam informed the audience that they would have to hear two encores. This was
no burden. Both Kazimierz Machala's giddy American Folk Suite and the tango from Julio Medaglia's
"Belle Epoque in Sud-America" suite were opportunities for listeners to relish more blasts of graceful wind
from Berlin.
Baltimore Sun
October 2, 2007
French lesson by wind quintet at Shriver Hall
Tim Smith
Music
After an early-September, nonsubscription event featuring Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz
at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Shriver Hall Concert Series opened its annual classical
series Sunday evening at the Johns Hopkins University with the superb Berlin
Philharmonic Wind Quintet.
The program provided an immersion course in French music for flute, oboe, clarinet,
bassoon and horn. From Paul Taffanel's elegant 1880 Quintet to the irreverent 1948
Quintet No.1 by Jean Francaix, consistent traits were easily detected - clarity of texture,
vitality of melodic lines, refreshing harmonic coloring. Just as obvious was the disarming
virtuosity of the ensemble.
Things hit a particularly brilliant peak in the performance of that witty Francaix score,
with its often manic energy and a wonderfully rude horn part (the instrument is required,
in several places, to produce the French equivalent of a Bronx cheer). The Berlin players
uncorked the work's clever effervescence with elan, but didn't slight the third movement's
contrasting lyricism.
There was remarkable tightness of articulation in Jacques Thert's Trois pieces breves
(perfectly crafted miniatures as satisfying as a chocolate truffle with a surprise filling),
and beautifully shaded nuances in a suite by Darius Milhaud.
The playing in the sole non-French item, Samuel Barber's Summer Music, could have
been cleaner and more atmospheric, but still impressed.
Throughout the evening, the quintet members made it abundantly clear how they got into
the eminent Berlin Philharmonic (bassoonist Henning Trog more than 40 years ago, the
others in the 1980s). The almost orchestral variety of tone they produced was a
remarkable achievement in itself.
[Gramophone
, July, 2007
I
Beethoven . Mozart
Beethoven Piano Q uinter, Op l:b
c
Mozart Adagio and Rondo, K61 7 . Quintet, K452
Stephen Hough pf
b
Berlin Philharmonic \Vind Quintet ( Michael I Llscljl
WC
.
b An dreas Wltuna.nn
ob-aocWa lter Se yfnrm d a CHenning Trog 1m aCFergus McvVil liam 1m) BIS
® BIS-CD1SS2
(60' • DOD) Quintets - sc./«ud afl"pmlsrJns: P,..,uin, Vi<Tmll Wir,,1 Solo~1S (4/86) (TELA) CD80114 Brt:Tldel, HolJige-r, Brunner, BaUlltlflm, T/JUJl~III./11171 (8/87) (PHIL) 420 182-2 A traditional coupling gets 5parkling
treatment from the Briton and friend5
The combination of
Stephen Hough and wind
players from the BPO
makes for sparkling
perfonnances of these twO
quintets, which read ily
match the two fine
versions listed for comparison. It is noticeable
that the Berlin horn is less plummy than the
Viel1l1ese, and in the slow movement of the
Mozart Hough and his partners take a lighter
view th an their rivals, highlighting the
tenderness. The finale tOo is gentler, less strongly
pointed. The Adagio and Rondo, written late in
Moza rt's career, makes a welcome supplement.
Hough and the Berliners also bring out the
stylistic contrasts betwee n MOZ.1rt and the
youthful Beethoven, who expressly adopted the
layou t of the M07.arr Quintet. Despite that copy­
cat design there is no question of Beethoven's
idiom being anything bu t consistently
characteristic. Dotted 'rhytluns are sharply
articula ted, and again the results are a degree
lighte r than those of the rival versions, while the
slow movement flows more easily, with Hough
bringing out the sparkling folk element in the
finale. The recording balance is first-rate, \vith the
players set in a helpful acoustic. Edward Greenfield
BBe Music Magazine
June, 2007
BEETHOVEN
Quintet in E flat, Op. 16
MOZART
Quintet in E fiat, KV452; Adagioand Rondeau, KV617 Stephen Hough (piano): Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet 8/5 CD-1552 New/Reissue (2000)
60:26 mins
BBC Music Direct
£12.99
u The two quintets for piano, oboe,
c clarinet, horn and bassoon make
~
:2 an obvious pairing: Mozart's the
~ perfectly crafted masterpiece th at
~ established the medium, Beethoven's
no mere imitation but full of youthful
spi rit. The Berliners' Mozart has been
issued before, coupled with variou s
Mozart arrangements. The one that
surv ives here is the lovely late Adagio
and Rondo for glass harmonica,
flute, oboe, viola and cello, with the
harmonica represented by piano and
the strings by clarinet and bassoon.
First time round, Misha Donat found
the performances 'generally first-rate',
and the Quintet especially successfu l
thanks largely to Stephen Hough's
'sensitive contribution'. The sa me
goes for the Beethoven, recorded
(in a different studio but equally
well) in 2004: even the su rprisingly
brisk tempo of the central Andante
cantabile is vindicated by Hough's
light to uch in its florid decoration.
On Naxos, an ensemble led by the
pianist Jeno Jand6 offers an identical
-:'
programme, with the Adagio and
Rondo on celes te supported by the
original instrumentation: that's
a definite plus, and the playing
is characterful if varia ble. C loser
competition in the Quintets comes
on Hyperion's all-Mozart and all­
Beethoven discs by the Gaudier
Ensemble. These are also excellent
performances, with the pianist Susan
Tomes in fine form. But the Mozart
sou nd s rather muffled, and in a few
crucial SPOtS the slightly greater
poise of Hough and the Berliners
wins them the benchmark verdict.
Anthony Burton
PERFORMANCE
SOUND
* ** * *
****
BENCHMARK RECOROIN(;:
Quintets: Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet/Hough 8/5-CO-1552 ,
International Record Review
May, 2007
New/Reissue
Quintets for Piano and Winds Beethoven Quintet for Piano and Wind in E flat, Op. 1Ga. , Mozart Quintet for Piano and Wind
in E flat, K452b. Adagio and Rondo in
C minor, KG17 (arr. Hasel)b.
Stephen Hough (piano); Berlin Philharmonic
Wind Quintet (Michael Hasel. flute; Andreas
Wittmann, oboe; Walter Seyfarth, clarinet;
Henning Trog, bassoon; Fergus McWilliam,
horn).
BIS CD1SS2 (full pi ice. , houl). bfrom SIS (01132 .
Websire www.bis.se. Producer Robert Suff. Engineer
Siegbert Ernst. Dales bfebruary 2000, ·December
2004
Comparll.Ons;
Beethoven:
Barenboim, Schellenberger, (ombs, Damiano. Clevenger
(Warner Elatu,) 2564-60445 -2 (t994)
Gie,eking, Philharmonia W ind Ot
(Testament) SBTl091 (195S)
Levin, AAM (hbr Ens (Decca) 455 994-2 (1998
Previn, Vienna Wind Soloists (Telarc) (080114 (1985)
Serkin, Tubeuf. de Lanoe. Gigliotti, Schoenbach, M . Jone-s
(Sony ( lasSical) SK93909 (1953)
This is an immensely civilized record .
The great Mozart Quintet is played with
aristocratic eloquenc~ by the winds of the
Berlin Philharmonic and Stephen Hough. It
was recorded in 2000 (and preViously released
on BIS, reviewed in Fdlruary 2001 , as was
the arrangement of the Adoaio ond Rondo,
K617). It is a very stylish account too: the
instruments are modern, but there's a little
Einaona from the pianist at the end of the
slow introduction, ornamentation is within '
credible late eighteenth-century norms,
repeats arc observed, and the sense of scale
feels just right. It also sounds quite lovely,
thanks to superb recorded sound : the venue
is neither too resonant nor too dry, there's
plenty of detail (even the occasional sound
of the mechanisms of wind instruments) ,
but the balance is wonderful, and the
recording captures the whole ensemble
with a more or less ideal mixture of clarity
and warm th . Then there's the sound of the
instruments themselves: five of Germany's
fin~st wind players drawn originally from the
Berlin Philharmoruc in 1988 (and all still in it
today, according to the orchestra's website),
joined by one of Britain's most mUSically
intcllieent pianists .
This deeply satisfying combination is heard
again to marvellous elTect in the Beethoven
Quintet, which is here issued for the first
time. Usually this piece comes ofT .s the
lesser of the two works and this isn't
unrea>onabl e: the MOLart was written at
the height of his powers - 'the best thing
[ hav~ ev~r written ' , according to Mozart
in a letter to his f.ther - while the Beethoven
is an early piece, though a fine one . The
performance here is so completely engaging
and so imaginatively characterized : never
is the piece overwhelmed, and I can't think
of another recording that makes a more
.convincing case for it. I think one reason
for the success of Hough and the Berlin
players lies in the difTerent approaches ~hey
take to the two works. So often there IS a
rather generalized style applied to these
quintets, but the wind playing has a shght!y
sharper edge in the Beethoven and Hough s
piano sound, while always beautiful, is here
extremely sensitively tuned to the slightly
grainier texture of early Beethove~. Add
to that playing which has an unfallmg sense
of direction, propelled by speeds that are
so weI! judged that they feci completely
right, and you have a very tine performance
indeed.
The recording is as good for the B~elhoven
as for the Mozart, which is saying something,
and the notes are interesting. This is a highly
competitive version of these pieces, espeCially
with the addition of a charming coupling (an
intelligent arrangement by Michael Hasel, who
also wrote the notes) . Aside from historic
recordings (the Gieseking/Philharmonia
version is available on Testament, and Rudolf
Scrkin's fine record with Philadelphia players
is on Sony), rivals include Barenboim with
Chicago Symphony soloists (Warner) and
Previn with 'Viennese wind players (Telarc).
Both are very good, but I don't think either
of them is as impressive in the Beethoven.
The outstanding period instrument coupling
with Robert J,..evjn and the Academy of
Ancient Music (Decca) seems to be deleted .
Given this situation, the new Hough/Berlin
coupling is a winner - it's a very fine disc
indeed .
Nigel Simeone
International Record Review, May 2007
Louisville Courier-Journal
March 6, 2006
Wind quintet's deft perforlnance belies its focused accomplishment By Al}dretIy 4dIer
aadler@Courier-journal.com
Courier-Journal Critic
There was a deceptive ease to
yesterday's playing by the Berlin
Philharmonic WInd Qy.intet: de­
ceptive because little about its
program was simple, except for
the pleasures it afforded When
you are members of one of the
world's most celebrated orches­
tras, accomplishment comes
readily. Everything, however,
takes more than a little concen­
tration.
.
Concentration was abundailt
during this concert, presented
by the Louisville's Chamber Mu­
sic Society at the University of
Louisville School of Music. Flut­
ist Michael Hasel, oboist An­
dreas Wittmann. clarinetist Wal­
ter Seyfarth, hornist Fergus
McWilliam and bassoonist Hen­
ning Trog combined in perfor-
MUSIC REVIEW . '
,I
'"r
Berlin Philharmonic Wind
Quinte~
Presented by: Chamber Music
Society of Louisville
Write your own review: courier­
journal.com!reviews
mances that were full of charm
and felicitous detail. The reper­
toire was lush and safe, all deftly
rendered
Apart from Samuel Barber's
"Summer Music," all of yester­
day's works were French (and
the Barber shared that implicit
sensibility, if not the explicit na­
tionality). Some listeners might
say that a succession of French
wind quintet pieces is mono the­
matic to a fault; perhaps that's
true to a degree. Yet the progres­
sion from !bert's "Trois pieces
breves" to Milhaud's "La Chem­
inee du roi Rene" - the latter an
engaging nine-movement suite
concluding with a languid noc­
turne - allowed listeners to rev­
el in the technical confidence of
these five musicians.
Paul Taffanel's "Q9.intet in G
minor" wasn't quite so distinc­
tive a piece. Barber's "Summer
Mu~ict however, probably the
best-known selection of the af­
ternoon, sounded as luscious as
it always does. The performance
waS an apt prelude to Jean Fran­
calx's "Quintet No.2," written
.w hen the composer was in his
mid-70s and still very much a
vivid expressionist. Yesterday,
the second-movement Toccata
whirled and winked under all
those accomplished fIngers, as
did the fmal movement, marked
"Allegrissimo." Showmanship.
yes. and most welcome.
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)
March 2, 2006
The Plain Dealer I Thursday, March 2, 2006
MUSIC
' ~Taste of Berlin Philharmonic is delicious DONALD ROSENBERG
Plain DealerMusic Critic
..: (
- " The ' Berlin Philharmonic
. hasn't visited Cleveland in dec-'
"ades, an enormous loss for music
" tovers who pine for orchestral
"artIstry beyond the illumination
our own city's lofty ensemble
:pr-ovides.
..
"
'So, a big hand to the Cleveland
Chamber Music Society for recti­
-tying at least one-twentieth or .so
·, Of 'this dilemma. The society
brought the Berlin Philharmonic
Wind Quintet and pianist Jon
' Nmmatsu to Fairmount Temple
Auditorium in ~eachwood, on
Tuesday for a program largely of
French music. Mozart was pres" .
ent in the form of his Quintet for
- Piano and Winds, K. 452, but it
was in the Gallic fare that the
.. Berliners truly SOared.
',Orchestral players must be
fleXible, switching stylistic gears
to 'suit the varying needs of their
': rep.ertoire. The Berlin players­
.. flutist Michael Hasel, oboist An­
:'.£ieas Wittman, clarinetist Wal­
;ter Seyfarth, bassoonist Henning
Trog, ' hornist Fergus McWilliam
n:....:,dO so elegantly on an intimate
"sC3Je. Their interaction is seam­
, y~s~, and they phrase with subtle
"
4
REVIEW
Berlin Philharmonic
Wind Quintet
nerveux" from the composer's
"L'heure du berger," was a glori­
ously wacky bit of circus and
cabaret music they tossed off
giddily with pianist Nakamatsu.
The ensemble's guest won the
gold medal at the 1997 Van Cli­
burn International Piano Com­
petition, but he didn't sound like
a piechanical contest winner
Tuesday; he played like a musi­
cian. In Poulenc's Sextet for Pi­
ano and Winds, Nakamatsu en­
tered the breezy and sentimental
world with crisp, imaginative as­
surance. The Berliners teamed
closely with their colleague,
bringi!lg utmost zest and
warmth to this delightful brain­
storm;
Mozart believed his K. 452
quintet to be his best work to
date, and who are we to dis­
agree? As shaped by Nakamatsu
and the Berlin players, the .
work's Classical poise and ex­
pressive beauty received meticu­
lous consideration. ,
Now, how about a Severance
Hall stop by the entire Berlin
Philharmonic?
elasticity.
. There were moments in Darius
Milhaud's "Le Cheminee du roi
Rene" when the musicians ap­
peared
be warming up or get­
tingused to the ~uditorium's no­
toriously bone-dry acoustics. But
their attention to detail and ar­
ticulation gradually allowed this
charming score, so full of affec­
tionate nods backward, to unfold
in all its graceful vitality.
jean Frahcaix is hardly a name
that trips off most concertgoers'
tongues, though the pieces that
the Berlin players offered suggest
this shouldn't be so. Francaix's
Wind Quintet No.2 is entrancing
from first note to last. Its four
movements' glide tunefully or go
on rhythmic detours that keep
the ear captivated. In the finale,
fluttering lines give way to a ge­
nial waltz.
The Berliners were marvels of
delicacy and wit. They enjoyed
Francaix's cheeky writing while To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
nailing his technical challenges. drosenberg@plaind.com,
And their encore, "Les pefits' 216-999-4269
to
Sydney Morning Herald
31 January 2005
Superlative across a wide range
Murray Black
Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet. Concert 1, Verbmgghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
January 27. Conceit 2, City Recital Hall, Angel Place. January 29.
WHEN Brett Dean, curator of the Sydney Festival's chamber music series, first introduced this ensemble,
he promised us artistry as well as richness and variety of tone.
The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet delivered this in two concerts of superlative music making,
remarkable for their cohesiveness, timbral balance and idiomatic playing across a range of styles.
The first concert was a stimulating traversal of contemporary music dominated by the Hungarian composer
Gyorgy Ligeti.
The densely textured complexity of the Ten Pieces features a haunting range of effects consistently
exposing the extremities of each instmment's range, while the bright and spiky Six Bagatelles are enlivened
by swinging Bartokian dance rhythms .
In both works, the Berliners were dazzlingly virtuosic, displaying nimble finger work and excellent
dynamic control.
Dean's Winter Songs, a setting of poems by e.e. cummings and commissioned by the ensemble, alternated
between moments ofrestless aggression and mournful stillness that created an evocative winter
soundscape.
The ensemble generally maintained its high standard of playing, but it did occasionally overpower tenor
soloist Gregory Massingham. Apart from a strained top register, Massingham was firm and clear,
employing a purposefully hard-edged tone, as he had to snarl and shout as well as sing.
Jean Francaix's attractive Wind Quintet offered some light relief from the intensity of Ligeti and Dean and
the group responded with a sinuously phrased, rhythmically alert reading .
Saturday night's concert was more relaxed but just as rewarding. The first half was an all-Mozart affair
first the Fantasie KV608 (originally written for mechanical organ and arranged for the Berliners by their
flautist Michael Hasel) and then the quintet for piano and winds, KV4S2, where the group was joined by
pianist Ian Munro, whose elegant passagework was delightful. Maintaining a smooth, well-blended tone,
the ensemble's Mozart was lovingly shaped and crisply articulated.
Carl Nielsen's Wind Quintet one of the masterworks of the genre saw an increase in intensity and drive
that realised the work's melodic beauty yet also revealed an unsettling quality reminiscent of the agitated
woodwind passages in his mighty Fifth Symphony. Finally, Berio's Opus Number Zoo offered a largely
light-hearted intermingling of music and poetry by Rhoda Levine, with the players taking it in turns to
recite the lines with gusto.
So enthusiastic was the response that the group returned for two encores an
imaginative arrangement of Percy Grainger's Country Gardens for piano and
winds by Munro and a saucy little tango by Brazilian composer Julio
Medaglia.
Kansas City Star
November 11, 2002
Berlin Philharrrw,ni~ Wind/Quintet , delivers 'sterlingperforrf1£tnce By MICKEY COALWELL Contributing Reviewer erfection in any human endeav­
or is improbable. Perfection in
artistic expression is unlikely.
Perfection in musical execution
is exaiedingly rare.
The five members ofthe Berlin Philhar­
monic Wmd Quintet, however, came close
to achieving that lofty ideal in a sterling
perfonnance Friday night at the Carlsen
Center's Yardley Hall at Johnson County
Community College.
.
Michael Hasel, flute; Andreas Wittmann,
oboe; Fergus McWilliam, hom; Henning
Trag. bassoon; andWalter Seyfarth, clar­
inet, are individually extraordinary musi­
cians. Together they display the keenest
sense of musical rapport and ensemble
playing imaginable. Founded in 1988, the
quintet is, quite simply. the best at what it
does.
An intelligent and engaging program of
all 20th-century music played to the
group's strengths: phenomenal technique,
burnished tone and rhythmic exactitude.
P
The group made a strong case forFrancaix
being one ofthe most underrated com­
posers of the 20th century. The perfor­
BerlinPhilhannonic . mance was a phenomenal virtuoso tum.
Why don't we hear more Francaix on our
Wind Quintet programs?
• When: Friday, Nov. 8
After intermission. the quintet returned
• Where: Yardley Hall
with "Six Bagatelles" by that darling of the
avant-garde, Gyorgy Ugeti. Surprisingly,
. • Attendance: 300 (approx.)
. this earlywodc from 1953 is constructed in
---------~--a wholly tonal and even conservative
manner, with just some hints at Ugeti's lat­
I
The first half ofthe program was devot­
er preoccupation with note clusters and
micropolyphony. The six interlocking
ed to French wind music.
:
Jacques Ibert's "Trois Pieces Bteves" .
pieces are well-crafted miniatures, and
opened the program with three acerbic
display more than a bit ofHungarian brio.
musical aphorisms, .w hich the quintet dis­
The final work. Danish composer Carl
patched with perfect Gallic wit and charm. Nielsen's 1922 "Quintet forWmds, Op. 43,"
Next, Darius Milhaud's seven-movement
may have been the weakest work on the
suite "La Cheminee du roi Rene" demon­
program. Though well crafted, the piece
strated the group's agility and stWstic
seemed overlong and undernourished
sense, with a remarkable re-creation ofthe The individual instruments are given their
penetrating, slightly nasal wind sound
moments of glory, however, and that may
characteristic ofFrench ensemble playing
have been the reason for its inclusion.
of the previous generation.
Whatever its shortcomings, the Berlin
The gem of the first halfwas the "Quintet Philhannonic Wmd Quintet gave it an ide­
No.1" (1951) ofJean Francaix (1912-1997).
al perfonnance.
CONCERT REVIEW "Perfection in any human endeavor is improbable. Perfection in artistic expression is unlikely. Perfection in musical execution is exceedingly rare. The five members on the Serlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, however, came close to achieving that lofty ideal in a sterling performance." "The quintet is, quite simply, the best at what it does." The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
November 10, 2002
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Wind :Quintet preSented ',a! pro. . . The sligbUy
reserved ,, ~e~ solo horn and long aWl-- I iram tthat both'ahoweased ita tenor of the .A.dBgio :diq affect !' tained notes. ..
'.' , . , members' ~ :developed akills Ole playeI1l' ~t.h~ , 'Ilg~t, ::.'.' ~acll. nwnher of the .Berlin . and WUlltrated ,; the variety of cloae playing, .\ c:h,ang68Iri~ dY~ :~; qmntet 18 & ~ter of hi81nattu­
. inu.alcal Bty1eil written for thle . namics and aharp~ent.raneeefo- ~; ment. ,~ut one.al~e .would not
cU8ed attention on '· lovely ,: ~~. What distin,guulhed th~
. cOmbination ofinBtrumente.
. ;, In contrast to .. atring quar- moment.! when the instruments :.:' ~ Wall the wuty ~d proo­
'tet,ln which the tourinatrumen- moved togethel',creating a rich- .; Idonof sound they achi~ed, the
~ voices are, ;ahnillU',wind ' ness of 8O~d thatwu ~08t eensetn:at .~yare a amgle en­
quintetaboaatftve v~ di1fer- orchestral. ..
,,:." . , ',;~:"I ~~~~~ ~ut complementary.
~t ~~da. H~ the w.yB trl:,,;~ :', : Anton ,Rei,cba,~ a~: ~J1~pO- ,/\Tb~t;'&laO· ~ have a .sense,'Of" which c.ompoe8l'l'Weave, blend rary of Mozart who 'lIved welllh~or,~The evening endedwlth t·.. ·
t
f1t
.tnore'
1;
"'+ .
"Superb ... creating a richness of sound that was almost orchestraL"
"Each member of the Berlin quintet is a master of his instrument, but
one alone would not suffice. What distinguished their playing was
the unity and precision of sound that achieved, the sense that they
are a single entity, diverse but complementary."