Newbury Spring Festival

Ensemble Renard, 2025 CMF Artists, devote themselves to showcasing the breadth of colour the wind quintet is capable of. Their dedication to the genre has taken them to prestigious venues and festivals across the UK and abroad, including return appearances at the Aldeburgh Festival, Folkestone New Music, and BBC Radio 3’s In Tune.

In this lunchtime recital they take the audience through a musical history from some of the earliest written music by 13th-century composer Pérotin, arranged by one of the most important composers in recent history, the late Oliver Knussen. This is followed by reimaginings of the music of Ravel’s much-loved Le Tombeau de Couperin, and Bartók’s rhythmically charged Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm.

No exploration of the wind quintet could be complete without the most celebrated work in the genre – the rich and expansive Wind Quintet by Carl Nielsen.

Performers
Ellie Blamires flute
Francesca Cox oboe
James Gilbert clarinet
George Strivens horn
Patrick Bolton bassoon

Programme
Pérotin arr. Oliver Knussen Alleluya Nativitas
Maurice Ravel arr. Mason Jones Le Tombeau de Couperin
Béla Bartók arr. George Strivens Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm
Carl Nielsen Wind Quintet Op.43

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