Aston Ensemble

Performers

Notes on the performers

The Ashton Ensemble present a programme highlighting the hidden gems of the wind quintet repertoire. Showcasing repertoire from across the world, this music pushes the boundaries of what wind music should be, allowing the musicians so shine in virtuosity.

The Ashton Ensemble is a newly formed group composed of musicians from the top wind ensembles at the Royal College of Music. The group, largely working as an octet, provides a space for collaboration, exploration and engagement with new music. They are dedicated to showcasing brilliant works for wind ensembles of all sizes, and have been hailed for their energetic playing and eclectic programming. Recent highlights have included performances at Champs Hill, Garsington Opera, Dorchester Arts and Highgrove House

Programme

Programme notes

Valerie Coleman

Umoja

In its original form, Umoja, the Swahili word for Unity and the first principle of the African Dispora holiday Kwanzaa, was compose a simple song for women’s choir. It embodied a sense of ‘tribal unity’, through the feel of a drum circle, the sharing of history through traditional “call and response” form and the repetition of a memorable sing-song melody. It was rearranged into woodwind quintet form during the genesis of Coleman’s chamber music ensemble, Imani Winds, with the intent of providing an anthem that celebrated the diverse heritages of the ensemble itself.

Almost two decades later from the original, the orchestral version brings an expansion and sophistication to the short and sweet melody, beginning with sustained ethereal passages that float and shift from a bowed vibraphone, supporting the introduction of the melody by solo violin. Here the melody is a sweetly singing in its simplest form with an earnest reminiscent of Appalachian style music. From there, the melody dances and weaves throughout the instrument families, interrupted by dissonant viewpoints led by the brass and percussion sections, which represent the clash of injustices, racism and hate that threatens to gain a foothold in the world today. Spiky textures turn into an aggressive exchange between upper woodwinds and percussion, before a return to the melody as a gentle reminder of kindness and humanity. Through the brass led ensemble tutti, the journey ends with a bold call of unity that harkens back to the original anthem. Umoja has seen the seen the creation of many versions, that are like siblings to one another, similar in many ways, but each with a unique voice that is informed by Coleman’s ever evolving creativity and perspective.

Source: Valerie Coleman

Paul Hindemith

Kleine Kammermusik for Wind Quintet Op 24 No.2

1. Lustig. Mäßig schnell Viertel (merry. moderately fast quarter-notes)
2. Walzer: Durchweg sehr leise (waltz: consistently very soft)
3. Ruhig und einfach (calm and simple)
4. Schnelle Viertel (fast quarter notes)
5. Sehr lebhaft (very lively)

In Hindemith’s Kleine Kammermusik, Op. 24, No. 2, the composer alludes to Stravinsky by utilizing repeated patterns, similar to repetitive patterns in a groove-like rhythm in that movement. Hindemith references jazz in movement titles such as “Shimmy” and “Ragtime”. The exploration of jazz by both Stravinsky and Hindemith reflects Ravel’s practice of using Basque dance music. This work in particular would go on to become a staple in the wind quintet literature.

Hindemith composed the work for the Frankfurter Bläser-Kammermusikvereinigung (Frankfurt Wind Chamber Music Association), one of the first wind ensembles in Germany, and dedicated it to them. He took some material from the earlier work, Kammermusik No. 1, compared to which this was named Kleine. The music was premiered in Cologne on 13 June 1922 as part of the second Rheinisches Kammermusikfest (Rhenish Chamber Music Festival) by the Frankfurter Bläser-Kammermusikvereinigung.

Source: Wikipedia

Amy Beach

Pastorale

Amy Beach was fond of nature and often chose to work near parks and woodland. This landscape is reflected in the Pastorale, originally composed for wind quintet in 1941. The piece is developed from earlier sketches, including a 1921 version in D for solo cello with flute and piano. A second version for cello and organ was published in a collection of five pieces for cello and piano. The music for the quintet version is written in a relatively conservative style, and Beach reworks the original sketches in a contrapuntal texture. The piece is written in the form of a sicilienne in ABA form and is Beach’s only work for woodwind quintet.

Source: Wikipedia

Maurice Ravel (arr.Popkin)

Ma Mere L’Oye for Wind Quintet

1. Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant: Lent (Pavane of Sleeping Beauty)
2. Petit Poucet: Très modéré (Little Tom Thumb / Hop-o’-My-Thumb)
3. Laideronnette, impératrice des pagodes: Mouvt de marche (Little Ugly Girl, Empress of the Pagodas)
4. Les entretiens de la belle et de la bête: Mouvt de valse très modéré (Conversation of Beauty and the Beast)
5. Le jardin féerique: Lent et grave (The Fairy Garden)

Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) is a suite by French composer Maurice Ravel. The piece was originally written as a five-movement piano duet in 1910. In 1911, Ravel orchestrated the work.

Sleeping Beauty and Little Tom Thumb are based on the tales of Charles Perrault, while Little Ugly Girl, Empress of the Pagodas is inspired by a tale (The Green Serpent) by Perrault’s “rival” Madame d’Aulnoy. Beauty and the Beast is based upon the version by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. The origin of The Fairy Garden is not entirely known, although the ballet version interprets this as Sleeping Beauty being awakened in the garden by her prince.

Source: Wikipedia

Paquito D’rivera

Selections from ‘Aires Tropicales’

1. Alborada
2. Son
3. Habañera
4. Vals Venezolano
5. Dizzyness
6. Contradanza
7. Afro

This original seven-movement work for wind quintet was commissioned by the Aspen Wind Quintet. It was premiered in 1994 in New York City at the Frick Collection by Bärli Nugent, flute, Robert Ingliss, oboe, Todd Levy, clarinet, Chris Komer, horn, and Susan Heineman, bassoon. The movements are as follows: “Alborada”, a slow introduction; “Son”, with an ostinato Latin bass line in the bassoon and horn; “Habañera”, a trio movement for flute, clarinet and bassoon in the style of Ravel; “Vals Venezolano”, a lively Venezuelan waltz; “Dizzyness”, an homage to the late, great Dizzy Gillespie; “Contradanza”, an upbeat Cuban dance honoring Ernesto Lecuona; and “Afro”, which begins with a flute solo, followed by an energetic, rhythmic six-eight dance over an African ostinato.

Today we will hear a selection from this work.

Source: Paquito D’Rivera

Valerie Coleman

Red Clay Mississippi Delta

Red Clay is short work that combines the traditional idea of musical scherzo with living in the South. It references the background of my mother’s side of the family that hails from the Mississippi delta region. From the juke joints and casino boats that line the Mississippi river, to the skin tone of kinfolk in the area: a dark skin that looks like it came directly from the red clay. The solo lines are instilled with personality, meant to capture the listener’s attention as they wail with “bluesy” riffs that are accompanied (‘comped’) by the rest of the ensemble. The result is a virtuosic chamber work that merges classical technique and orchestration with the blues dialect and charm of the south. 

Source: Coleman