British Music Society, Ronald Corp

The five players are recent graduates of the Royal Academy, and the Royal College of Music. They were winners of the 2023 Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition.

“They are lively group of excellent players who bring much colour and energy to the five works on this disc.”

As the works are from the last six decades and there is a similarity in the sound world of these pieces. Perhaps the CD is not to be listened to all-in-one sitting. Having said that, the works each have their own characteristic, and each composer his or her own identity.

The title of the CD is taken from Sally Beamish’s work, and her inspiration was the calling of birds, although she was also much attracted by their Latin names… It is a lively and inventive work, giving each of the instruments a solo part.

The earliest piece is Mathias’s Wind Quintet of 1963… The playing is alert in the quicker movements..

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Maconchy’s Wind Quintet of 1980 is a solid work bearing some relationship with the cycle of her thirteen string quartets… there are five movements, and the first gives each instrument a chance to shine…

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