Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet—The Complete Columbia Album Collection

A woodwind quintet is the primary ensemble for performing chamber music written for a group consisting of flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon. Note the brass French horn’s inclusion. Classical era composers such as Danzi and Reicha were early champions of the instrumental grouping and wrote many works between them.

Much like Danzi and Reicha’s contemporary, Mozart, both composers liked how the French horn’s tone blended well with the woodwind family, and thus, the French horn was included. As such, many times the title “Wind Quintet” supersedes “Woodwind Quintet”.

The most famous of all woodwind quintets was the one formed in 1950, featuring the world-famous soloists of The Philadelphia Orchestra. For 15 years, these kings of woodwind playing held court as the premier woodwind ensemble of the world.

Their status was further enhanced by Columbia recording them and releasing twelve recordings, all of which are included in this fabulous box set, The Complete Columbia Album Collection (12 CDs).

Several are in mono, the rest in stereo, but all have been remastered using 24-bit/192 kHz technology.

When famed French oboist Marcel Tabuteau left Paris and became principal oboe of The Philadelphia Orchestra, he also began teaching oboe and woodwind classes at the Curtis Institute of Music. It is at Curtis where his legendary teaching and methods shaped several generations of woodwind playing, later called The American School of Woodwind Playing. Tabuteau’s reputation was such that many of the finest young players in the country auditioned for Curtis. This led to several generations of players filling the top positions in the country, especially in the Philadelphia Orchestra. It’s these players who make up the bulk of musicians found on this set.

On this set, we have several iterations of the quintet, including flutists William Kincaid, Murray Panitz and Robert Cole, oboist John DeLancie, clarinettist Anthony Gigliotti, bassoonists Sol Schoenback and Bernard Garfield and hornist Mason Jones. No matter who is playing, the standards are astonishingly high, as you would expect. Just once in a while, the superstardom of flutist William Kincaid and bassoonist Bernard Garfield shines through, both regarded by many as the finest principals on their instruments in the history of the modern orchestral world.

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

Things get off to a sluggish start on CD 1 with Mozart’s Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, K. 452 with Rudolf Serkin, piano and the Beethoven Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 16 with Rudolf Serkin, piano. It’s very beautifully played but so slow, at least in my view. One thing, though, you’ll hear immediately what a superb job the remastering engineer did with the mono recordings in this set. Vibrant, fulsome and very dynamic.

Things improve dramatically on CD 2 with definitive performances of two great works by Janáček—Concertino, JW VII/11 with Rudolf Firkusny, piano and Mládí (“Youth”) with Leon Lester, bass clarinet. Mládí is a favourite of mine, having toured the work with my quintet over much of Western Europe. It’s totally inspired, totally Janáček, full of amazing instrumentation (including bass clarinet and flute doubling piccolo) and Janáček‘s quirkiness. The Philadelphians are truly “fabulous Philadelphians”, here.

CD 3 continues the brilliance in equally definitive performances of two staples of the repertoire, Hindemith‘s Kleine Kammermusik, Op.24, No.2 and Ibert’s 3 Pièces brèves.

Jumping to CD 5, skilfully avoiding CD 4 with the woeful Schoenberg Wind Quintet, Op. 26 (30 hours of coaching once and we never got near the damn thing!), we reach my choices for the two greatest wind quintets, Barber Summer Music, Op. 31 and Nielsen’s Wind Quintet, Op. 43. This CD is in stereo. Both receive almost perfect performances with only three recorded groups that I believe can match these players—the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet (made up of 2nd chairs of the Philharmoniker), the Ensemble Berlin/Wein, made up of Berlin and Vienna principals and the star studded Les Vents Français, all of which have the chops and musicianship to match the Philadelphia players, but not surpass them.

The rest of the CDs contain wonderful performances of various works written for quintet and arrangements, including a lovely performance of what I think is Milhaud’s best work, La Cheminée du Roi René, Op. 205. Tasteful Mozart and an alternative Mozart Quintet in E-Flat Major, K. 452, this time in stereo with Robert Casadesus, piano. I prefer this performance.

We end with an oddity CD 12, but fascinating and superbly played, the music of jazz avant-garde master, Ornette Coleman.

A fun, if bracing way to end a marvellous box set. Highly recommended.

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)

Release Date: 09/29/2023