Joanna White
"Alec Wilder Woodwind Quintets"
The Solaris Quintet, known to me for its fabulous “American Quintets” recordings, once again brings works never before recorded to disc, this time with works by Alec Wilder. While this collection is a departure for them in that it focuses on one composer, it is no less well recorded.
The group sound and individual tones are resonant, expressive, beautifully balanced, and in tune, and the CD is well engineered. The performers, some current and some former faculty members at the University of Akron, convince us of the merit of these works by skillfully negotiating Wilder’s humorous and scintillating woodwind writing. They include George Pope, flute; Jack Cozen Harel, oboe; Kristina Belisle Jones, clarinet; Cynthia Cioffari, bassoon; and William Hoyt, horn. Brooks Toliver’s program notes, commenting on Wilder’s oeuvre, illuminate this New York composer (1907–1980) who combined classical and popular styles in his large song and chamber music output.
The quintet compositions, not often performed, received their first recordings here: numbers 5, 7, 8, 10, and 12. They are vaguely reminiscent of the quintet works of Alvin Etler with their driving 16ths and melodic tonality tinged with dissonance but are perhaps less difficult than the Etler quintets. Melody predominates, and Wilder seems to have a favorite technique of pairing instruments for long intertwining passages that flow right into different duo-combo passages. This spare, non-dense texture makes these pieces a good vehicle for the lovely and blended playing of this ensemble. Notable is Etler’s numbering of most movements without descriptive titles, but he did use them in quintets 10 and 12. At first listen, the quintets are fairly like each other, but a closer examination can help you pick out favorites. Some movements are scherzo-like, some more pensive, and we often pick up jazzy or Gershwin influence, not just in the movements marked “swinging” or “jazz style.” These works might enhance the programs of professional ensembles while providing hours of fun for university-level groups as well.
Flute Talk – October 2014
“Alec Wilder Woodwind Quintets”
The Solaris Wind Quintet, formed in 1976, is in residence at the University of Akron. On this recording five of American composer Alec Wilder’s thirteen woodwind quintets are presented. Born in Rochester, NY, Wilder studied composition privately with Herman Inch and Edward Royce, who taught at the Eastman School of Music. While Wilder never registered for classes or received a degree, he maintained a close association with the school and was awarded an honorary degree in 1973. He is also known for writing popular songs for Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, and the Mills Brothers. According to the liner notes, “Sinatra heard some of Wilder’s pieces for orchestra and soloist in 1945 and thought so highly of them he urged Columbia Records to record them. Columbia agreed only when Sinatra offered to conduct them, one the few times Sinatra conducted an orchestra.” The album, released as Frank Sinatra conducts the Music of Alec Wilder, was a success musically and commercially.
Wilder loved puzzles and often created his own crossword puzzles. This fascination with riddles and solutions is reflected in the writing of these quintets. The performances by the Solaris Wind Quintet are terrific, and this CD should inspire more ensembles to explore this fascinating repertoire. The CD is dedicated to the memory of Todd Evan Fulmer. (Crystal Records Inc. www.crystalrecords.com)
FLUIT 2014-4 – by Bart Schmittmann
“Alec Wilder Woodwind Quintets”
One of the positive aspects of reviewing CDs is that I come across music that is entirely new to me such as the American composer Alec Wilder (1907 - 1980). He was active in entertainment music and wrote songs for Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett and his good friend Frank Sinatra. He also composed classical music including more than five operas, a ballet, orchestral works and a lot of chamber music that includes wind quintets. Five of these are on this CD. Wilder was not an avant-garde composer and his music has a clear stylistic choice. Sometimes one can hear that he is trying his best to prove that he is a serious composer, for instance when he shows his fine skills at counterpoint, but one can hear at other moments that his background lies in entertainment music. The performance by the Solaris Wind Quintet, founded in 1976, is BEVLOGEN (fantastic). The beautiful tone and convincing musicality by flutist George Pope and oboist Jack Cozen Harel are particularly strong. I have been inspired to listen to more music by Alec Wilder after hearing this CD.
Audiophile Audition – by John Sunier, August 15, 2014
“Alec Wilder: Woodwind Quintets Nos. 5, 7, 8, 10 & 12"
Solaris Wind Quintet – Crystal Records CD758
There are not many composers of today who leave the listener with a feeling of great happiness, but these two seem to qualify. Wilder, who lived until 1980, was a somewhat neglected American composer who was an important part of the American popular music canon, having written such great songs as “I’ll Be Around,” “While We’re Young,” and “It’s So Peaceful in the Country.” Being amazingly eclectic, in addition his pop songs Wilder composed classical works for exotic combinations of instruments. His Alec Wilder Octet had Mitch Miller on oboe and the keyboard was a harpsichord. His friend Frank Sinatra conducted his Columbia 78s album, which had both some of his jazzy orchestral works and some of his octets, Sinatra’s only conducting stint.
The cantankerous Wilder loved to ride trains and composed much of his music while on them, like Duke Ellington. His mother had moved the family after his father had died to the Algonquin Hotel in NYC, and that became Alex’s home for most of the rest of his life. He recommended pianist Marian McPartland for the award-winning Piano Jazz, show which is still running on NPR stations. He also wrote eleven operas and a series of woodwind quintets. Crystal Records and the Solaris Wind Quintet have cleverly selected those quintets which were skipped on an earlier recording of the Quintets by the New York Woodwind Quintet (which has been reissued on CD by Boston Skyline). And they are just as skilled as the New York ensemble was.
Wilder shunned the usual world of composers and did his own individual thing. He loved puzzles and this comes out in the skilled use of contrasting elements in his wind quintets. They sometimes get into Germanic-sounding contrapuntal textures, but they also all have a humorous side, which is sometimes shown in suddenly getting jazzy, but at other times in just having a quirky nature. His expertise as a song composer is heard in the fine lyricism of many of the quintet movements. Sometimes there is a café-music mood that might make you think of An American in Paris.
