A magnificent French musician to rediscover, Albéric Magnard (1865-1914)
Albéric Magnard - Quintet in D Minor for piano and winds, Op. 8 - I. Sombre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MZe-LotyHY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Quintet in D Minor for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and piano, Op. 8 (1894)
I. Sombre
II. Tendre
III. Léger
IV. Joyeux
Aura Ensemble
Magnard is less well known than his music deserves. His legacy of barely twenty completed works is so small for three reasons: First, he did not begin studying composition until after he completed a law degree, and studied in two different schools, the Paris Conservatory and the Schola Cantorum. Second, he died early, at the age of 49, defending his house against advancing German troops in 1914. Finally, on that occasion they burned his house, and along with it most of his manuscripts. This [Quintet Op. 8] is an early example of French wind chamber music, written in a late Romantic style. The first movement is in a standard sonata form, with the refinement that the second theme has a rhythm derived from the first theme. The development is a fugue in four voices. The second movement is marked "tender," but has a contrasting central section in a fast section. The third movement, a scherzo with a prominent and sparkling part for flute, yields to a trio with an oboe solo of sensual, Near Eastern quality. The final movement is a rondo-sonata with a village dance flavor. ~ All Music Guide
