Wind Quintet (Bacewicz)
Movements
i Allegro ii Air. Andante iii Allegretto iv Vivo
Notes
Grazyna Bacewicz was a Polish violinist and composer of Lithuanian origin, with many of her works featuring the violin, including seven concertos for the instrument. Notable for giving secret concerts in Warsaw under Nazi occupation, after the War she moved to teach in Lodz. Alongside some of the best wind music to be written behind the Iron Curtain, one of her most popular works today is her 1948 Concerto for String Orchestra.
Her early wind quintet is in a dry, neoclassical polytonal style, with resemblance to the Parisian “Les Six” as well as other soviet composers. Melodic and rhythmic interest is shared out evenly amongst the ensemble, although she often favours unison writing for the three high winds. The second movement contains a notable feature for the horn.
