Wind Quintet No. 1 Capital Wynds

Description

The titles of the three movements may be related to Scotland’s capital city: ‘Old Town Wynds’ is named after the narrow lanes in Edinburgh’s old town, particularly those running off the Royal Mile; ‘The Skating Minister’ refers to a painting attributed to Henry Raeburn depicting the Rev. Robert Walker skating on Duddingston Loch; and Chiamata alla Caccia is an imagined call to hunt on nearby Arthur’s Seat. The opening march has lots of upbeat motifs and dotted rhythms similar to some late eighteenth-century military band tunes, the trio section in triple time providing a contrast in terms of tonality and metre. The second movement takes the form of a Minuet and Trio, with much of the melodic material given to the clarinet, which represents the skating minister in Raeburn’s painting. In the slightly slower trio section, it is imagined that the minister is joined on the ice by several members of his congregation, some perhaps less experienced skaters. The final movement is unashamedly melodic and allows the horn player to take the lead in the musical proceedings, which are strongly rooted in the key of Eb major.