Programs

The Roaring Twenties in the United States, the Goldene Zwanziger in Germany, and the Années folles in France: this brief decade, stretching from the end of World War I to the Great Depression, symbolizes significant socio-political, cultural, and artistic upheavals throughout the Western world at the dawn of the 20th century. The Art Deco style, which inspired the magnificent Crew Collective & Café where tonight's concert takes place, became dominant in architecture, while movements like Dadaism, Automatism, and Surrealism were represented in the 1920s by figures such as Salvador Dalí in painting and Paul Éluard and André Breton in literature.

Music also branched out into diverse styles, with the rise of jazz and swing in America, and classical music was no exception. More than ever, musical languages expanded and diversified, as each composer sought their own path. Many began to explore the heterogeneous sounds of the wind quintet, a formation that had been relatively underutilized until then. A significant number of works for wind quintet were written in or around 1924! Notably, Schoenberg used this ensemble to compose the first dodecaphonic work in history, while Danish composer Carl Nielsen created one of the most iconic quintets in the wind repertoire, alongside works by Ibert and Ropartz in France and Hindemith in Germany.

Jacques Ibert (1890–1962)
Trois pièces brèves for wind quintet is among the most beloved works in the repertoire, perfectly embodying the traditional French style with its clarity and refined timbres, as well as the elegance of its musical lines, a hallmark of his entire body of work. In addition to an impressive number of pieces for wind instruments, Ibert was highly prolific, composing operas, ballets, concertos, symphonic works, and music for theater, cinema, and radio.

Carl Nielsen (1865–1931)
One of the most renowned Scandinavian composers worldwide, Nielsen’s oeuvre includes two operas, six symphonies, several concertos, and chamber music, including his famous Wind Quintet, Op. 43, written in 1922. His musical language conveys a unique expressive power across his body of work, and his quintet is no exception—especially its third movement, which radiates a rare, poignant, and unsettling emotional intensity.

Guy Ropartz (1864–1955)
Although French by nationality, Ropartz developed a musical language more reminiscent of Richard Wagner, César Franck, or Albéric Magnard. The composer drew inspiration from the folklore of his native Brittany, the sea, and religious faith to create five symphonies, about fifteen symphonic works, an opera, numerous chamber music pieces, and an extensive catalog of sacred music (works for voice, organ, and piano). This sacred, spiritual reflection is evident from the opening notes of his Deux pièces for wind quintet, characterized by charming and distinctive musical lines.

Paul Hindemith (1895–1963)
Hindemith’s fascination with wind instruments is no secret, given their predominant role in his musical catalog. The German composer wrote sonatas for nearly every wind instrument of his time, including the alto saxhorn, bass tuba, and English horn—it is said he made a point of mastering each instrument well enough to perform his own compositions! His early works, including Kleine Kammermusik, Op. 24, No. 2 (written in 1922 and performed tonight), were influenced by Schoenberg's Expressionism, Richard Strauss’s German Romanticism, and Debussy's Impressionism. Over his career, Hindemith created a remarkable number of works that, together, embody the artistic possibilities of an era that was, more than ever, creatively rich and vibrant!