Little Winds Quintet

This year Stilbaai residents have been spoilt by the Musical Society with exceptional musical performances. The concert by Little Winds Quintet, on 9 June 2019 was one of the highlights!

Len, David, Simon, Bridget, Shaun

Part 1 Instruments

The five instruments in the quintet were the Flute, masterfully played by Bridget Rennie-Salonen, the Oboe : Shaun Little; Clarinet: David Little, leader of the group; Bassoon: Simon Ball and Horn: Len Worthington-Smith.

Hierdie samestelling van instrumente, met hulle groot verskille in klank, is ‘n wenner aangesien hulle mekaar op ‘n besondere wyse aanvul en so die samespel verryk. 

Die Dwarsfluit het sy oorsprong in Asië. Dit was eers van hout gemaak en het later kleppe bygekry. Boehm het die klepmeganisme in die middel van die 9e eeu vervolmaak en so het die modern dwarsfluit ontstaan. Dit word nou meesal van silwer gemaak, maar behoort nog altyd tot die familie van houtblaasinstrumente. Die sagte, helder klank van die fluit maak hierdie instrument besonder geskik vir musiek met n dromerige, ligte, lugtige gevoel.

The Bassoon (Fagot in Afrikaans) gives depth in the ensemble with its low tones. In Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, the theme of the grandfather is played by the bassoon.

In contrast, the Oboe is a soprano instrument. The double reed principle of the oboe is acoustically very complex and quite difficult for a player to master. The “reedy” sound has been described as being perhaps the most tender and expressive in all wind-music.

Die Franse horing, ‘n moeilike instrument om te speel, se klank word voortgebring deur die lippe wat op ‘n tregtervormige mondstuk vibreer. Die ryk warm klank van die horing kan maklik uitgeken word en gee ook besondere diepte aan die gesamentlike klank van die ensemble.

The Clarinet is usually made of wood and has a single mouthpiece. The most common clarinet is the soprano clarinet pitched in B flat. Its mellow sound makes it a firm favourite of many music lovers.

The particular sound of an instrument - the timbre- is often described in terms of colour with the idea that the colour of sound helps to "paint a picture". A Bassoibedon e.g. is "dark" in tone, a flute is "light". Die Little Winds kwintet kry dit meesterlik reg om hierdie uiteenlopende klanke en kleure tot 'n eenheid te snoer tot 'n ryke klankervaring.

Part 2  Musical Periods

The musical pieces played were carefully selected by the quintet. They chose a varied and entertaining selection of chamber music of different genres, ranging from Classical, Romantic to modern masterworks. The pieces from Ligeti, Ibert and Piazolla were selected from music written in the 20^th century - modern and sometimes it does sound dissonant. The most catching of the three modern pieces was Adios Nonino by Piazolla – a rhythmic tango with a tender, intimate and nostalgic section.

The Quintet Op 56 in B flat by Danzi was composed in the Classical period and is noted for its elegant melodies. The “crowning glory” of the concert was the Divertimento No14 in B flat by Mozart – also from the Classical period. Divertimento is a light-hearted musical genre. Most Divertimento examples date from the 15^th century and were usually composed for a small ensemble. Set-piece compositions, with style and technique, characterised this classical style for over 40 years.

The Romantic era (1820-1900) heralded an emotional way of composing. During the closing years of the 18^th century the world was changing beyond all recognition – the rule of kings was swept away by the revolution and freedom was the order of the day. Music had to say something, it had to tell a story. Composers in this period were highly influenced by their emotions and imagination and thus composed more expressive music. The Little Winds Quintet played the Scherzo from Midsummer Night’s Dream from this period. Mendelsohn left a legacy of music that will continue to speak to the human heart for all time. The next Romantic composition was composed by Paul Taffanel. This piece of music won a composition prize and was perfectly delivered by the quintet. Also from this period came the well-known ballet music from “Faust”. It was originally composed for a whole orchestra but was later arranged for a quintet.

Die gehoor het hulle waardering betoon met ‘n staande ovasie. Dit was nou waarlik ‘n genotvolle belewenis om na sulke knap musikante te luister wat oor jare heen leer saamspeel het sodat elke klank tot sy reg kan kom. Wat ’n voorreg was dit nie!

Dankie Stilbaai Musiekvereniging!