Program for April 19, 2026. It’s Darn Good Music

Wind Quintet Paul Taffanel (1844–1908)
I. Allegro con moto
II. Andante
III. Vivace

String Sonata No. 1 in G major Gioachino Rossini (1792–1869)
I. Moderato
II. Andante
III. Allegro

Contrabajissimo Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992)
arr. Jeff Scott for wind quintet

Intermission

Octet Jean Françaix (1912–1997)
I. Moderato/Allegrissimo
II. Scherzo and Trio
III. Andante/Adagio
IV. Mouvement de Valse

Musicians

Lindsay Bartlett, flute

Alyssa Case, oboe, English horn

Ed Love, clarinet

Joyce Besch, bassoon

Ric Ricker, horn

Donna Carnes, violin

Kristie Pfabe, violin

Cindy Ricker, viola

Jessica Dussault, cello

Hans Sturm, bass 

Program Notes

Wind Quintet Paul Taffanel
Paul Taffanel (1844–1908) was a highly influential French flautist, conductor, and teacher in the second half of the 19th century. Taffanel studied at the Paris Conservatory, and after graduating embarked on a highly successful career as a solo and orchestral musician, being praised for his unique tone quality and delicate use of vibrato. Taffanel was an early adopter of the Boehm flute, which is the metal instrument we recognize today (earlier flutes were made of wood, ivory, and some metal). In addition to using different materials, Boehm reworked the fingering system for the flute, giving it a more consistent tone quality across the entire range of the instrument. Taffanel returned to the Paris Conservatory as a professor of flute in 1893, where he revised the curriculum and helped shape a new generation of flautists and a style of playing known as the French Flute School. Taffanel was primarily a performer and educator throughout his career, though he did compose a handful of flute and chamber works, several of which have entered the standard flute repertoire. He also began writing a method book for flute, 17 Grands exercices journaliers de mécanisme, which was finished by two of his students after Taffanel’s death in 1908.

Taffanel’s Wind Quintet was written in 1876 for a composition competition and is his only piece for this ensemble (scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon). The first movement, Allegro con moto, is propelled forward by its dramatic primary theme. Dotted rhythms serve as the rhythmic engine, which then mellow into a singing-style secondary theme. Taffanel displays expert command of musical texture throughout the movement, alternating between dense and sparse soundscapes. The second movement, Andante, begins with a slow and lyrical horn solo, set over sparse accompaniment from the rest of the ensemble. The intensity builds with the texture as more instruments join the horn for fragments of the melody, before the melody is finally passed between the other instruments in the ensemble. The finale, marked Vivace, is a virtuosic tarantella—an Italian folk dance characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, typically in compound meter, and which was traditionally accompanied by tambourines. Taffanel begins his tarantella in the oboe and clarinet parts, and the quick rhythmic energy of the movement gets passed across the instrument throughout the movement. The compound meter (which sets eighth-notes in groupings of three instead of two) forms the basis for the lilting, dance-like quality which is present even through the quick tempo.

String Sonata No. 1 in G major Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Rossini (1792–1869) is a beloved 19th century Italian composer who is best known for his contributions to opera. He achieved incredible fame early in his career, then largely gave up composition after writing his opera Guillaume Tell (William Tell) in 1829. In addition to his 39 operas, Rossini wrote cantatas and other sacred music, standalone songs, and chamber and solo instrumental music. String Sonata No. 1 in G major belongs to a set of six string sonatas that are among Rossini’s earliest compositions—they were written in 1804, when Rossini was only 12 years old, and published two decades later in 1826. Rossini composed his string sonatas while living in the home of double bass enthusiast Agostini Triossi, which explains their unique scoring for two violins, a cello, and a double bass.

Set in three movements, the moderato first movement opens with a delicate two-note motive in the first violin, followed by a lyrical melody over a light accompaniment in the rest of the strings. The style is highly classical, featuring clear textures and symmetrical phrases throughout the sonata-allegro form first movement. The lyrical primary theme is contrasted by a more animated secondary theme which trades fast triplet passages between the two violin parts. The Andante second movement is slow and song-like, featuring a shared melody between the violin parts supported by sustained, repeated figures in the accompanying cello and double bass. The primary melody is contrasted by a light-hearted secondary theme consisting of constant dotted-rhythms in the violin part. The undulating double bass part provides a particularly effective bassline throughout the slow movement. The finale, markedallegro, is a brief rondo set in compound meter (three eighth-notes grouped together instead of two) and features a jovial melody. Rossini builds excitement throughout the movement by increasing the rhythmic motion from eighth-notes to blazingly quick sixteenth-note passages that get passed across the ensemble. The rondo melody starts in the violin, but the double notably gets a turn soloing the melody as it returns later in the movement.

Contrabajissimo Astor Piazzolla
Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992) was an Argentine composer and bandoneon player who is best known for his contributions to the tango genre. Piazzolla incorporated elements from jazz and classical music in his tangos, creating a new style termed nuevo tango. Piazzolla’s earliest music education was infrequent and largely self-driven—his first bandoneon (a self-propelled wind and reed instrument similar to an accordion) was purchased from a pawn shop, and he learned his first tangos from his father’s recordings. Piazzolla began performing from an early age, which helped him afford lessons with classical pianist Béla Wilda, who taught him Bach on the bandoneon, and later with the revered Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera. In 1953, Piazzolla entered a composition competition and was awarded a grant from the French government to study with the legendary teacher Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Boulanger taught Piazzolla counterpoint and classical composition, but also eagerly encouraged him to continue writing and pursuing the tango style in his music. Piazzolla formed his seminal group Quinteto Tango Nuevo in 1960, which featured bandoneon alongside violin, guitar, piano, and bass.

Contrabajissimo, which translates to “double bassissimo,” was written for the bassist in Piazzolla’s quintet and showcases the composer’s ability to weave classical and tango music seamlessly. It is considered one of Piazzolla’s finest works and was the only music performed at his funeral. Contrabajissimo was arranged for woodwind quintet by horn player Jeff Scott in 2008. The work opens with a dissonant, vibrating chord in the flute, oboe, clarinet, and horn, followed by an animated solo melody in the bassoon. The bassoon solo slowly transforms into a dance, with the rest of the ensemble joining the tango rhythm. The work intensifies as melodies in the upper winds and bassoon clash together. The dance then slows down for a stunning bel canto (beautiful singing) flute melody, followed by a return to more animated tango material. Contrabajissimo is a wide-ranging tango which encapsulates both melancholy and joy in various sections throughout the work.

Octet Jean Françaix
Jean René Désiré Françaix (1912–1997) was a French composer, pianist, and orchestrator. Françaix was born into a prominent musical family, with his father director of the Le Mans Conservatory and his mother a vocal teacher. His talents flourished from an early age, writing his first composition at age six. After studying at the Le Mans and Paris Conservatories, Françaix studied with the great French teacher Nadia Boulanger, who considered him one of her best students. As a concert pianist, Françaix toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States, often performing his own works. He was also a prolific composer, writing hundreds of works in a variety of styles throughout his lifetime. Françaix’s compositions include concerti, symphonies, opera, ballet, oratorios, and dozens of chamber and solo piano works.

Françaix’s Octet was written in 1972 and was dedicated by the composer “to the revered memory of Franz Schubert.” Scored for clarinet, two violins, viola, cello, bass, horn, and bassoon, the Moderato first movement begins with a slow introduction featuring a sustained melody shared across the ensemble. The movement picks up speed with a light, energetic theme and pizzicato strings, though the music retains its French lyrical quality from the slow introduction. The second movement is a scherzo, a delicate-yet-animated movement with shadows of a dance and a lighthearted theme. Pizzicato string passages and trills in the wind instruments give the scherzo its frenetic energy, while the legato melody spans wide leaps in contrast to the accompanying parts. The third movement, andante, is slow and lyrical lullaby with a simple and memorable tune. The unique instrumental texture of the octet is on full display as each instrument shares in the lyrical passagework throughout the slow movement. The fourth movement is a waltz, though it opens with a dramatic chordal section that uses the full ensemble. A delightful, fluttering waltz follows the opening drama and serves as the finale to Françaix’s Octet.
— Paul Zeller