Berlin Quintet shows why it's one of the world's best

BERLIN PHILHARMONIC WIND QUINTET, Allred Theater, Browning Center for the Performing Arts, Weber State University, Oct. 9.

Since its founding in 1988, the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet has been setting the standard of wind playing. Consisting of principal players with the Berlin Philharmonic, without question one of the world's greatest orchestras, the five are among the best of their respective instruments.

Saturday they came to Utah as part of Weber State University's Cultural Affairs concert series, their second visit to the Beehive State in the last couple of years. (Their first engagement in Utah was in Logan.) With their program, they showed the sizable audience in Allred Theater that the Berlin ensemble is without a doubt among the elite of wind quintets.

Except for the opening work, the program they played Saturday gave an excellent overview of 20th century music for wind instruments. And in each work they exhibited their perceptive interpretive skills, consummate ensemble playing, impressive virtuosity and stunning musicality. It was a concert that ranks as one of the best of the year.

The five opened the concert with Beethoven contemporary Anton Reicha's Quintet in B flat major, op. 88, no. 5. The piece is very melodic and charming and the group captured that with its lyrical playing.

Pavel Haas' Quintet, op. 10, was the other piece in the first half. Haas was one of many composers whose life was tragically cut short in Nazi concentration camps. While he didn't leave a large body of work behind, he is nevertheless a significant composer who works are gradually receiving the performances and attention they deserve.

The Quintet is written in an effusive harmonic language and with an intensity of expression that makes it compelling and stunningly irresistible. The group gave a powerful reading of the work that was wonderfully sensitive and perceptive and captured the many minute nuances in the score.

The second half began with Samuel Barber's "Summer Music," op. 31. It's an evocative piece with a rich harmonic palette, and the Berlin wind players brought finely crafted expressions and lyricism to the account. Their playing was fluid as they captured the music's languid character. Their interpretation was colorful and vibrant.

The final piece on the program was Carl Nielsen's delightful Quintet, op. 43. A gem among his works and in the wind repertoire, the work is captivating for its Mozartian character. The ensemble gave a fabulous performance that was expressive, lyrical and utterly charming.

There was one encore, a witty but brief arrangement of several American folk songs.

e-mail: ereichel@desnews.com