 Fraicheur et gaieté acidulée inspirent la plupart des pages qui jalonnent cet enregistrement, tout comme elles caractérisent le jeu des cinq interprètes, deux Espagnols, deux Français et un Allemand, maîtres incontestés de leur instrument et qui poursuivent chacun séparément de belles carrières de solistes et de musiciens d’orchestre. D’où l’urgence qui a présidé au bouclage, mais qui, loin de nuire à la qualité de leur jeu, les a stimulés comme s’ils étaient au concert. Le programme, composé d’œuvres tonales des années 1920 à 1950, est tout aussi européen que nos musiciens, ce qui change des thématiques nationales fréquentes dans les quintettes à vents. Les deux œuvres phares pour cette formation, le 1er quintette de Françaix, qui, sous le naturel, dissimule un monde de difficultés techniques et le plus sage opus 43 de Nielsen, alternent avec un jeune Arnold goguenard et un non moins jeune Hindemith étonnamment primesautier (Halbreich). Mais ce qui fait le prix de cet enregistrement c’est avant tout le plaisir qu’ont à l’évidence pris les musiciens… et qui s’avère hautement communicatif. Des débuts bien prometteurs pour ce nouvel ensemble Variation5 ! (Yves Kerbiriou) “variation5” is the title of the wind quintet’s eponymous debut album – and variation5 is an ensemble of five very different characters, musicians who as winners of first prize in the ARD Music Competition are united by one thing: rather than cling to traditional performance practice and repertoire, they create new and exciting programmes and present them in their own cheeky, youthful, laid-back manner. This first joint album of theirs gives the five musicians the chance to present modern 20th-century classics for wind ensemble. They push atonal preconceptions to one side: the works are catchy and offer auditory variety as well as a relaxed balance of sound such as has rarely if ever been heard before. The five wind musicians – Magali Mosnier (flute), Ramon Ortega-Quero (oboe), Sebastian Manz (clarinet), David Fernandez Alonso (horn) and Marc Trenel (bassoon) are anything but your typical “classical-music nerds”. The assumption that a wind quintet represents an exceptionally difficult combination is one they can confidently rebut: they are so well attuned to one another that their instruments fall into harmony with one another and sound, when played together, almost like an organ. That gives the ensemble a unique authority of its own. For its debut album, the ensemble has assembled works that display the versatility and creative enthusiasm of their composers. The wind-quintet formation enjoyed a renaissance in the 20th century. Composers like Carl Nielsen, Jean Francaix and Paul Hindemith experimented with this scoring and showed great inventiveness in exploiting the various acoustic characteristics of the different wind instruments. So you can imagine it takes the highest technical and musical skills to achieve full expression of these works. These musicians are equal to the enormous challenge and their listeners can be sure of a sonic revelation. There are two reasons for this: in the first place the works were specially arranged for and by the ensemble so as to be perfectly matched to each individual musician, and secondly, the Hans Rosbaud Studio in Baden-Baden, where the recordings were made, is an ideal venue for wind players. The album’s release coincides with the start of a concert tour by the ensemble, taking them through the major classical music festivals of 2017. Further dates in 2018 will be announced.
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