Album

For the Elgar aficionado who thinks he/she has everything, here's something he/she probably doesn't have—Elgar's complete music for wind quintet. There are three excellent reasons for these works omission from most Elgar libraries. They are all youthful works written when the composer was in his twenties. They are all uncharacteristic works written before the composer had found his own voice. They are all not especially memorable works whose all too obvious debt to Mozart's wind quintets does little to enhance their appeal. That said, however, these still quite entertaining works with delightful if forgettable melodies, charming if undistinguished harmonies, and enchanting if unremarkable forms. Indeed, the single most notable fact about Elgar's wind quintet music is that he scored them not for the standard flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn combination but rather for two flutes, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon because no horn player was available. But while this change does give the works lighter colors and clearer textures, it does nothing to improve the music itself. The playing of the English Athena Ensemble is uniformly first class with the suave interplay of flutists Richard McNicol and Sebastian Bell being particularly striking. But even the hardiest Elgar aficionados may find two discs of youthful, uncharacteristic wind music too much for one sitting, and they are advised to take it one piece at a time, perhaps interspersed with some of the composer's late chamber music for strings. Chandos' 1978 digitally remastered sound is cool and clear, but also shallow and hard.

© James Leonard, All Music Guide

CD 1 of 2
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Harmony Music No.5, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon ('The Mission') Work 26:30 Athena Ensemble Ensemble
1	1.Allegro moderato. 'The Mission'	11:44			$1.99
2	2.Menuetto	5:39			$0.99
3	3.Andante. 'Noah's Ark'	4:19			$0.99
4	4.Finale	4:48			$0.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer 5 Intermezzi, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and basson (or cello) Work 8:00 Athena Ensemble Ensemble
5	1.Allegro moderato	1:33			$0.99
6	2.Adagio. 'Mrs. and Miss Howell'	1:28			$0.99
7	3.Allegretto. 'Nancy'	1:15			$0.99
8	4.Andante con moto	2:10			$0.99
9	5.Allegretto	1:34			$0.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Harmony Music No.1, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon Work Athena Ensemble Ensemble
10	Harmony Music No.1, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon	4:04			$0.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Adagio Cantabile, 'Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup', for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon Work Athena Ensemble Ensemble
11	Adagio Cantabile, 'Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup', for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon	3:45			$0.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Andante con variazione, 'Evesham Andante', for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon Work Athena Ensemble Ensemble
12	Andante con variazione, 'Evesham Andante', for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon	5:04			$0.99
CD 2 of 2
Sir Edward Elgar Composer 6 Promenades, for wind quintet Work 14:04 Athena Ensemble Ensemble
1	1.Moderato e molto maestoso	1:28			$0.99
2	2.Moderato. 'Madame Taussaud's'	1:53			$0.99
3	3.Presto	2:22			$0.99
4	4.Andante. 'Somniferous'	2:40			$0.99
5	5.Allegro molto	3:02			$0.99
6	6.Allegro maestoso. 'Hell and Tommy'	2:39			$0.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Harmony Music No.2, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon Work Athena Ensemble Ensemble
7	Harmony Music No.2, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon	10:20			$1.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Harmony Music No.4, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon ('The Farm Yard') Work Athena Ensemble Ensemble
8	Harmony Music No.4, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon ('The Farm Yard')	12:02			$1.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Menuetto in Bb, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon Work Athena Ensemble Ensemble
9	Menuetto in Bb, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon	4:15			$0.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Alphonsa Gavotte, for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, clarinet and bassoon Work Athena Ensemble Ensemble
10	Alphonsa Gavotte, for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, clarinet and bassoon	2:41			$0.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Sarabande, largo for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon Work Athena Ensemble Ensemble
11	Sarabande, largo for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon	2:44			$0.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Gigue, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon Work Athena Ensemble Ensemble
12	Gigue, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon	2:00			$0.99
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Harmony Music No.3, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon Work Athena Ensemble Ensemble
13	Harmony Music No.3, for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon	3:23			$0.99