Deux-EllesDeux-Elles

The Galliard Ensemble

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Twentieth Century Wind Quintets

Jacques Ibert (1890-1962)Trois Pices Brves (1930)[Three Short Pieces]

Ibert was director of the French Academy in Romeand later became director of the Paris OpraComique. Although Ibert was mainly involved inopera and incidental music, he is perhaps bestknown for a small number of orchestral andchamber works. Divertissement for orchestraincludes a parody of Mendelssohns WeddingMarch, uses a police whistle and incorporates jazz.His flute concerto is his most successful concertoand is strongly lyrical and playful. In the same yearas Divertissement Ibert wrote his Trois Pices Brveswhich display his colourful and charming style.

Luciano Berio (b.1925)Opus Number Zoo

Luciano Berio started his career as a pianist, but ahand wound during the Second World Warprevented him developing as a professionalperformer, and he increasingly turned tocomposition. Opus Number Zoo, written in 1951shortly after Berio completed his degree incomposition in Milan, explores the theatricalaspects of musical performance. Each movementtells a short story, much in the same vein asStravinskys Histoires pour Enfants and PoulencsBarbar the Elephant. The narrative in the work wasoriginally recited by the author, Rhoda Levine.

However, in the revised version of 1971 asperformed on this recording, the words are sharedbetween the players themselves.

Gyrgy Ligeti (b. 1923)Sechs Bagatellen fr Blserquintett (1953)[Six Bagatelles for wind quintet]

We were very privileged while studying at theRoyal Academy of Music to have had theopportunity to work with Gyrgy Ligeti on his SixBagatelles whilst preparing for a performance atthe RAMs Ligeti Festival.

The Six Bagatelles are based on his eleven pianopieces Musica ricercata and were written inHungary during a time of cultural isolation fromthe rest of the musical world. In Budapest betweenthe years 1950-54, radio stations were jammed andmodern art was forbidden. Ligeti found hisinspiration in the music of Bartk and Stravinsky.The influence of Stravinsky can clearly be heardin the Six Bagatelles, with their rhythmical energy,especially in the first movement in which he limitsthe range of notes to just four and experimentswith rhythmic intervalic structure. Bartksinfluence is also clearly audible, particularly in thefifth movement, which was dedicated to hismemory. Despite these overt influences, the SixBagatelles are extremely original both in theirconstruction and orchestration.

After the summer of 1956, when the restrictionswere slightly eased in Eastern Europe, the firstperformance of the Bagatelles was given inBudapest by the Jeney Wind Quintet. The sixthBagatelle, which uses all twelve notes of the scale,was omitted because there were deemed to be toomany minor seconds, the dissonance of which theauthorities still could not accept.

Ferenc Farkas (1905-2000)Early Hungarian Dances from C17th

Better known as the teacher of Ligeti and Kurtag,two of the most important composers of the 20thcentury, Ferenc Farkas deserves wider recognitionas a composer in his own right. Like his compatriotBartk, Farkas had a passion for collectingHungarian folk songs. His interest is reflected inthis early suite of Early Hungarian Dances for windquintet, published in 1959. The neo-classicalsimplicity of this collection is characteristic ofmuch of his output.

Eurico Carrapatoso (b.1962)Cinco Elegias (1997)[Five Elegies]

In 1999 Luis Tinoco won the Galliard EnsembleComposition Competition and since then hasintroduced us to the new music of his Portuguesecompatriots. One such piece, Eurico CarrapatososFive Elegies, has become a regular feature in our

recital programmes. Each of the five contrastingminiature portraits captures the stylistic essenceof its dedicatee, and each instrument is given amovement in which to shine.

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)Kleine Kammermusik fr fnf BlserOpus 24, No. 2[Chamber music for five wind instruments]

Hindemith wrote his Kleine Kammermusik fr fnfBlser in May 1922 at the age of 27. At this timehe was living in Frankfurt, playing the viola inthe opera orchestra and in the Amar StringQuartet that he founded that same year. He hadsecured a relationship with the publishers B.Schotts Shne in Mainz, but only afterconsiderable discussion later that year did theyagree to a salary that would enable him to leavethe orchestra and concentrate on his composition.

The quintet is one of Hindemiths early works andhis style not yet fully established. However, thequintet is unmistakably characteristic in itsrhythmic, harmonic and contrapuntal writing. Ofthis period, Hindemith said: Ive got a chronicmania for work and doubt if Ill ever get rid of it.

The five movements are characterised by humour,wit, and irony. The first movement begins with aclarinet theme, the accompaniment introducingthe military rhythmic motif that is reiterated

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throughout the movement. A sprightly waltzfollows featuring the piccolo. The third movementis more relaxed in style and incorporates a plaintiveoboe melody. Each instrument is given a shortcadenza in the fourth movement that leads directlyinto the fifth movement, a boisterous dance-likefinale.

Norman Hallam (b. 1945)Dance Suite (1980)

With his fine knowledge of writing for windinstruments, acquired while he was a clarinettistin the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (1970-99), and with the experience of performing in hisown wind quintet, Norman Hallam handles thewind quintet with great charisma. This is Hallamswitty tribute to four popular dance forms.

2002 Kathryn Thomas, Malcolm Galloway, andHelen Simons.

Jacques Ibert (1890-1962)Trois Pices Brves (1930)

Ibert fut directeur de lAcadmie de France Romepour devenir par la suite directeur de lOpraComique de Paris. Bien que ses domaines deprdilection taient surtout lopra et la musiquede scne, il est probablement mieux connu pourun petit nombre duvres pour orchestre et demusique de chambre. Son Divertissement pourorchestre inclut une parodie de la Marche Nuptialede Mendelssohn, utilise un sifflet dagent de policeet introduit du jazz. Son plus clbre concerto, leConcerto pour Flte, est trs lyrique et enjou. Lamme anne o il crivit Divertissement, Ibertcomposa ses Trois Pices Brves, marque de sonstyle haut en couleurs et envotant.

Luciano Berio (b.1925)Opus Number Zoo

Luciano Berio dbuta sa carrire comme pianiste,mais, stant bless la main pendant la deuximeGuerre Mondiale, il ne put devenir professionnelet il se tourna de plus en plus vers la composition.Opus Number Zoo, crit en 1951 aprs que Berioet obtenu son diplme de composition Milan,explore les formes thtrales de linterprtationmusicale. Chaque mouvement raconte une petitehistoire, la manire des Histoires pour Enfants deStravinsky et de lHistoire de Babar de Poulenc. Alorigine, ctait lauteur, Rhoda Levine, qui les

rcitait. Cependant, dans la version de 1970 quifigure sur cet enregistrement, ce sont les musicienseux-mmes.

Gyrgy Ligeti (b. 1923)Sechs Bagatellen fr Blserquintett (1953)

Avoir lopportunit de travailler avec Gyrgy Ligetisur ses Six Bagatelles, lors de la prparation dunconcert du Festival Ligeti de la Royal Academy ofMusic, fut un trs grand privilge pour les tudiantsde lAcadmie que nous tions alors.

Les Six Bagatelles sont bases sur ses onze morceauxau piano rassembls sous le titre de Musica ricercataet furent crites en Hongrie, une poque o lepays tait coup du reste du monde musical. Dansle Budapest de 1950 1954, les stations de radiotaient brouilles et lart moderne interdit. Ligetipuisa son inspiration dans la musique de Bartk etde Stravinsky. On reconnat facilement linfluencede Stravinsky dans les Six Bagatelles, de par leurnergie rythmique, tout particulirement celle dupremier mouvement, dans lequel il limite la gammedes notes au nombre de quatre et sessaie lastructure rythmique intervalle. On retrouve aussifacilement linfluence de Bartk notamment dansle cinquime mouvement qui lui fut ddi. Si cesdeux influences sont indniables, les Six Bagatellessont pourtant trs originales, la fois de par leurconstruction et leur orchestration.

Aprs lt 1956, quand les restrictions en Europede lEst furent appliques avec moins de rigueur,le Jeney Wind Quintet interprta les Bagatelles aucours dun premier concert Budapest. On nyjoua pas la sixime Bagatelle, qui utilise les douzenotes de la gamme, car on jugea quellecontiendrait trop de secondes mineures dont ladissonance naurait pu tre accepte par lesautorits.

Ferenc Farkas (1905-2000)Early Hungarian Dances from C17th

Plus connu en tant que professeur de Ligeti etKurtag, qui figurent parmi les compositeurshongrois les plus importants du XXe sicle, FerencFarkas mrite dtre mieux reconnu pour sespropres talents de compositeur. Comme soncompatriote Bartk, Farkas faisait la collection dechansons traditionnelles hongroises. Sa passionse retrouve dans sa suite ancienne, Early HungarianDances pour quintette vent, publie en 1959. Lasimplicit no-classique de ce recueil estcaractristique de la plupart de ses uvres.

Eurico Carrapatoso (b.1962)Cinco Elegias (1997)

En 1999, Luis Tinoco gagna la Galliard EnsembleComposition Competition et nous a depuis initis la musique nouvelle de ses compatriotesportugais. Lun de ces morceaux, les Cinq Elgies

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dEurico Carrapatoso, figure rgulirement dansnos programmes de rcitals. Chacun des cinqportraits miniatures, trs diffrents les uns desautres, rend lessence stylistique de son ddicataire,et chaque instrument peut briller dans unmouvement qui lui est consacr.

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)Kleine Kammermusik fr fnf BlserOpus 24, No. 2