Wind Quintets by Dubugnon, Taffanel, Holst & Francaix

The woodwind quintet is probably the only instrumental combination in chamber music that can claim to have been invented twice. The colorful combination of flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon was quite popular in 18th-century noble courts, probably due to it's refreshing sonority reminiscent of serenade music: composers felt inspired to write a great number of works. After the French Revolution and the corresponding decline of nobility, the wind quintet genre was only seldom featured in chamber music concerts held by the upper middle classes, and slowly sank into oblivion. The present release focuses on forgotten quintets by composers Richard Dubugnon, Gustav Holst, Paul Taffanel, and Jean Francaix. This is the Monet Quintett's debut recording.