Clarinet, Horn

Does the name Sigiswald Kuijken mean anything to you? How about his brother Wieland Kuijken? How about the name of the string quartet they founded together with François Fernandez and Marleen Theirs in 1986, the Kuijken Quartet? No? It's not surprising. Although the players are among the finest Dutch period instrument musicians, with the Kuijken brothers having been frequent partners with harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt, the Kuijken Quartet has made only a few recordings for the Japanese Denon label, all of which got poor circulation outside of Japan and Europe and most of which have long since gone out of print.

In 2017, the Ensemble arabesques began realising its idea of devoting albums to composers with a special predilection for woodwind instruments. The series was launched with the highly successful CD Gustav Holst Kammermusik. This was followed in 2019 by works of Francis Poulenc. For the third album, Jacques Ibert was an obvious choice. As with Holst, the particular charm of Ibert's works derives from the various combinations of woodwind and brass instruments, strings and harp that he uses.

Jean-Pierre Rampal - The Complete Erato Recordings Vol I. 1954-1963 (2015) {10CD Box Set Erato-Warner Classics 0825646190447}
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© 2015 Erato / Warner Classics | 0825646190447
Classical / Chamber Music / Flute

Ushering in a new golden era for the flute as solo instrument, Jean-Pierre Rampal secured his place in the classical music firmament as the greatest flautist of the modern era. Over 25 years (1954-1982), the French virtuoso’s fruitful collaboration with Erato grew into a truly exceptional achievement in recording history: an encyclopedia of flute music in vital performances that have remained the benchmark for generations. The first complete reissue of these recordings represents the most important collection ever dedicated to a single flautist. After all, it was Jean-Pierre Rampal that taught us to love the flute.

The only out-and-out solo piece is Weber's Andante and Hungarian Rondo… Skinner makes a beautiful sound in the expressive Andante, and hurtles effectively through the virtuoso coda… even if you're not particularly a bassoon buff you'll find this a very enjoyable programme

These are spirited and well-recorded versions of what probably remain Spohr's most popular works. The Nonet is freshly and attractively played, with a proper sense of chamber music informing the performance: that is to say, there is a companionable approach to phrasing, with ideas taken up and returned or passed on as if the players were really listening to one another rather than waiting to say what they were going to say anyhow. Only in the finale do matters become a touch competitive: it is not necessary to go at quite such a speed, and indeed the feeling is of pace rather than the real liveliness which only a very slightly easier tempo might have produced; while some of the string articulation is only just in position. The Adagio is beautifully played, and together with the nimble Scherzo is given a gentle serenade manner: nothing is gained, and sometimes all lost, by trying to make something too profound of these movements.

‘An excellent record, beautifully played, splendidly recorded, in every way highly rewarding’ (Gramophone)

Authentic and authoritative, these 1985 recordings of Mozart and Beethoven's quintets for piano and winds have almost everything going for them. Performing on a pianoforte modeled on a 1790 Viennese instrument, Jos van Immerseel is an adroit player, while the quartet drawn from the period instrument wind band Octophoros – Paul Dombrecht on oboe, Elmar Schmid on clarinet, Piet Dombrecht on horn, and Danny Bond on bassoon – are likewise all skillful instrumentalists. But while their playing is beyond contention – listen to their keen balances, their smooth ensemble, their unified rhythms – their interpretations miss the one thing that defines these works: their sense of fun..

During the second half of the 18th century, new potential sources of income made it possible for musicians to disengage themselves from the grip of their traditional employers, and attain the level of respectable citizen. Anton Eberl is a perfect example of a composer affected by the changes occuring during the last decades of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th, especially in Vienna. He clearly illustrates the range of services a musician ……