Reicha's wind quintets were widely admired, with one correspondent suggesting they surpassed Haydn's quartets, though some critics found them 'a little cold' or 'too profuse with ideas'.
Composer Biography
Antonín Reicha, the composer, was a childhood friend of Beethoven; they both played in the Elector's orchestra in Bonn and took composition lessons together.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Reicha developed a unique philosophy of music, arguing that traditional forms like fugue could be modernized by challenging norms such as the need for bar-lines or for works to start and end in the same key.
Performer Biography
The Michael Thompson Wind Quintet, featured on this recording, was formed in 1992 when Michael Thompson, a renowned horn soloist, took over from Barry Tuckwell.
Performer Biography
The original players for whom Reicha wrote his quintets were among the finest of their day, including the oboist M. Vogt, of whom the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung wrote, 'It is almost taken for granted that M.Vogt has not a peer on the oboe'.
Composition History
Reicha is best known for his 25 wind quintets, a combination of instruments he first tried in 1811 and then studied in detail before composing his 'incomparably superior works'.
Briccialdi: Wind Quintet in D Major, Op. 124, Wind Quintet No. 2 in B-Flat Major & Pot-pourri fantastico sul Barbiere di Sivliglia di Rossini - Carulli: Trio "Cheti al favor di questa notte" from Le Comte Ory by Rossini
Mozart, W.A.: Serenade No. 12 / Beethoven, L. Van: String Quintet, Op. 4 (Arr. for Wind Quintet)
CAMBINI: Wind Quintets Nos. 1-3 / BRICCIALDI: Wind Quintet in D Major
