French Music for Wind Quintet

Featuring

Ralf Gothóni
Anna Dina Schick
Max Artved
Søren Elbo
Henning Hansen
Jens Tofte-Hansen

The Wind Quintet of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Francis Poulenc
Jacques Ibert
Darius Milhaud
Jean Françaix

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Performer Biography

Ralf Gothóni, the pianist on this album, is a Finnish musician who began studying violin at age three and piano at five, making his debut as a pianist at fifteen.

Historical Context

Since the early 19th century, French composers have excelled in writing for wind instruments, a tradition influenced by Anton Reicha at the Paris Conservatoire.

Composer Biography

Francis Poulenc, a French composer, only began formal composition training in 1921 and was associated with Les Six, a group of friends including Milhaud, influenced by Erik Satie.

Composition History

Poulenc's Sextet for piano and wind quintet was written in 1932, revised in 1939 while he awaited conscription, and premiered in Paris in December 1940.

Performer Biography

Ralf Gothóni is a versatile musician with an international reputation as a solo pianist, conductor, chamber musician, composer, musicologist, and professor, with some eighty albums in his discography.

Composition History

Milhaud's suite for wind quintet, La Cheminée du roi René, was drawn from his collaboration on the film score for Cavalcade d'amour, which depicted love stories from different historical periods.