Echoes of Bohemia - Czech music for wind Orsino Ensemble with Peter Sparks, Llinos Owen, James Baillieu

• Pavel Haas (1899 - 1944): Quintet, Op. 10:
• 1 Haas: Quintet, Op. 10: I. Preludio 03:15
• 2 Haas: Quintet, Op. 10: II. Preghiera 05:08
• 3 Haas: Quintet, Op. 10: III. Ballo eccentrico 02:23
• 4 Haas: Quintet, Op. 10: IV. Epilogo 03:42
• Antoine Reicha (1770 - 1836): Quintet, Op. 88 No. 2:
• 5 Reicha: Quintet, Op. 88 No. 2: I. Lento – Allegro moderato 08:15
• 6 Reicha: Quintet, Op. 88 No. 2: II. Menuetto 04:34
• 7 Reicha: Quintet, Op. 88 No. 2: III. Poco andante. Grazioso 09:20
• 8 Reicha: Quintet, Op. 88 No. 2: IV. Finale 05:55
• Leoš Janáček (1854 - 1928): Mládí, JW VII / 10:
• 9 Janáček: Mládí, JW VII / 10: I. Allegro 03:47
• 10 Janáček: Mládí, JW VII / 10: II. Andante sostenuto 04:57
• 11 Janáček: Mládí, JW VII / 10: III. Vivace 03:32
• 12 Janáček: Mládí, JW VII / 10: IV. Allegro animato 04:42
• Bohuslav Martinů (1890 - 1959): Sextet, H 174 for Wind and Piano:
• 13 Martinů: Sextet, H 174 for Wind and Piano: I. Prélude 03:21
• 14 Martinů: Sextet, H 174 for Wind and Piano: II. Adagio 03:48
• 15 Martinů: Sextet, H 174 for Wind and Piano: III. Scherzo (Divertimento I) 02:29
• 16 Martinů: Sextet, H 174 for Wind and Piano: IV. Blues (Divertimento II) 03:00
• 17 Martinů: Sextet, H 174 for Wind and Piano: V. Finale 02:41
• Total Runtime 01:14:49

Info for Echoes of Bohemia - Czech music for wind

Following their début album, Belle Époque, the Orsino Ensemble turns its attention to music from Bohemia. There is a strong tradition of Czech wind playing, and hence a wealth of great repertoire on which to draw. Antoine Reicha was a contemporary (and friend) of Beethoven. His E flat Quintet, published in 1817, demonstrates his harmonic ingenuity and talent for idiomatic instrumental writing. Mládí, described by Janácek as ‘…a sort of memoir of youth’, was composed in 1924 in celebration of the composer’s own seventieth birthday, and the mood of the piece is optimistic throughout. Born in Brno, Pavel Haas studied at the city’s conservatory, under Janácek – indeed Haas is widely considered to be Janácek’s greatest pupil. Composed in 1929, the Wind Quintet typifies his quirky musical imagination and affinity for instrumental timbre. Bohuslav Martinu came from the small town of Policka, on the Czech-Moravian border, but received his early musical education in Prague, where he also played second violin in the Czech Philharmonic. A government scholarship enabled him to move to Paris in the early 1920s to study with Roussel. Martinu immersed himself in Parisian musical life, the works of Stravinsky and the Jazz scene proving two considerable influences on his own compositions. His Sextet for Wind and Piano is considered one of his most successful Jazz-inspired pieces and, although an early work, demonstrates the natural melodic style so typical of his later works.

Orsino Ensemble:
Peter Sparks, clarinet
Llinos Owen, bassoon
James Baillieu, piano

Orsino Ensemble
Making their debut at the Aldeburgh International Festival in 2018, The Orsino Ensemble is a flexible format chamber ensemble with a central focus on the five outstanding wind players at its core. Each a leader in their field, the group’s members are committed to showcasing the depth and versatility of the wind chamber repertoire; expanding and reducing the ensemble’s format as needed across their different programmes.

The Orsino Ensemble is a flexible format chamber ensemble with a central focus on the five outstanding wind players at its core. Each a leader in their field, the group’s members are committed to showcasing the depth and versatility of the wind chamber repertoire; expanding and reducing the ensemble’s format as needed across their different programmes. The ensemble was founded in 2018 with inaugural performances at the Aldeburgh Festival. Other recent highlights have included appearances at the West Cork Chamber Music, Chipping Campden and Ryedale Festivals. The ensemble has collaborated with artists including Pavel Kolesnikov, James Baillieu and Katya Apekisheva.

Highlights of the 22/23 season include performances at Wigmore Hall, LSO St Luke’s and the Two Moors Festival, as well as a weekend residency at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Upcoming collaborations include performances with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, a project they will take to Wigmore Hall and Sibelius Hall in Helsinki.

The Orsino Ensemble’s first recording, featuring French repertoire for Winds and Piano, was released for Chandos in 2021 to critical acclaim across the board with The Guardian praising the recording as “a disc that beguiles and dazzles in every bar”. Future recording plans for Chandos include a Czech-focussed disc featuring repertoire by Janacek, Martinu, Haas and Reicha.

Booklet for Echoes of Bohemia - Czech music for wind