The Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet, founded in 1950, comprised the principal woodwinds and French horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra. They made their recording debut for Columbia in 1953: four players from the ensemble were joined by pianist Rudolf Serkin in the Beethoven and Mozart Quintets in E-flat. Serkin, a frequent soloist with the orchestra, had been so taken by the artistry and tonal colors of its first-chair winds that he approached them about making a record together.
So began the group’s history at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio in Manhattan. It would span 15 years, during which the ensemble naturally focused on the many outstanding works scored for standard woodwind quintet. But guest performers often joined them on recordings as well as in concerts, extending their repertoire to include not only composers of their own time, but even music outside the classical sphere written by the legendary jazz trumpeter Ornette Coleman.
Reviewing the original LP releases, High Fidelity wrote that “one is very conscious of the superb skill with which each player shapes his own melodic line. Yet the ensemble is the thing, and the Philadelphians provide ensemble playing of the highest order. The players seem to breathe as one; the music ebbs and flows with a perfect sense of unanimity. The sound is excellent.”
The Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet released their last recording in 1968, and by early in the next decade their albums had practically vanished from record-store shelves. Owing to the legendary reputation of the Philadelphia wind section, many of the albums included in this set have acquired almost mythical status. The vast majority of the ensemble’s recordings, 8 out of 12 CDs, are presented in this collection for the first time in digital format mastered from the original analogue master tapes.
Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet Members:
William M. Kincaid, flute 1953-58
Robert Cole, flute 1957-60
Murray Panitz, flute 1962-67
John de Lancie, oboe
Anthony M. Gigliotti, clarinet
Sol Schoenbach, bassoon 1953-60
Bernard Garfield, bassoon 1962-67
Mason Jones, horn
SET CONTENTS
DISC 1:
Mozart: Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, K. 452 with Rudolf Serkin, piano
Beethoven: Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 16 with Rudolf Serkin, piano
DISC 2:
Janáček: Concertino, JW VII/11 with Rudolf Firkusny, piano
Janáček: Mládí with Leon Lester, bass clarinet
DISC 3:
Hindemith: Kleine Kammermusik, Op.24, No.2
Ibert: 3 Pièces brèves
Bozza: Scherzo for Wind Quintet, Op. 48
Haydn: Divertimento No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Hob.II:46
Beethoven, arr. by The Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet: Sextet in E-Flat Major, Op.71
DISC 4:
Schoenberg: Wind Quintet, Op. 26
DISC 5:
Barber: Summer Music, Op. 31
Nielsen: Wind Quintet, Op. 43
DISC 6:
Poulenc: Sextet, FP 100 with Francis Poulenc, piano
Milhaud: La Cheminée du Roi René, Op. 205
Francaix: Divertissement for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon
DISC 7:
Mozart: Divertimento in F Major, K.213
Mozart: Divertimento in B-Flat Major, K.270
Reicha: Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 88, No. 2
DISC 8:
Toch: Five Pieces for Winds and Percussion, Op. 83 (1959)
Toch: Sonatinetta for Flute, Clarinet, and Bassoon, Op.84 (1959)
Cowell: String Quartet No. 5 (1962)
DISC 9:
Grainger: Walking Tune
Wally: Aubade for Flute, Oboe and Clarinet
Persichetti: Pastorale
Schubert: Rosamunde: Hirtenlied
Stravinsky: Pastorale for Soprano, Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet, and Bassoon (1923)
Stravinsky: Pastorale for violin, oboe, English horn, clarinet, and bassoon (1933)
Pierné: Pastorale
Jolivet: Pastorales de Noël for Flute, Bassoon and Harp
Milhaud: Deux Exquisses (Two Sketches for Woodwind Quintet)
DISC 10:
Vivaldi: Chamber Concerto in G Minor, RV 103
Cambini: Wind Quintet No. 3 in F Major
Rossini: Wind Quintet No. 4 in F Major
Ponchielli: Quartet in B-Flat Major for Winds with Piano Accompaniment
DISC 11:
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante in E-Flat Major, K. 297 B
Mozart: Quintet in E-Flat Major, K. 452 with Robert Casadesus, piano
DISC 12:
Coleman: Forms and Sounds with Ornette Coleman, trumpet
Coleman: Saints and Soldiers (The Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia Quartet)
Coleman: Space Flight (The Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia Quartet)