Jane Buzzard, oboe
Hank King, clarinet
Bill Minkel, French horn
Gail Buzzard, bassoon
Ron Brickman, piano
on March 8, 2009
The Quintet in E flat for piano and winds, opus 16, reveals Beethoven as a thorough master of the Classical style. Modeled after Mozart’s work for the same instruments, the Quintet opens with a dramatic slow introduction that uses one of Beethoven’s favorite devices, the trochaic or long-short rhythmic pattern. The piano dominates in the following Allegro ma non troppo with many brilliant flourishes. The Andante cantabile opens with a brief but exquisite piano solo, which soon gives way to a balanced representation of each instrument. Minor key interludes lending darker moments are introduced first by the oboe followed by the bassoon, then the horn, before the movement ends quietly with scales in contrary motion between the piano and winds. The last movement is a witty and high-spirited Rondo with a delightful little cadenza for piano just before the return. Beethoven is said to have elaborated at considerable length on this cadenza at one of his own performances—the work was often used by the composer to establish his credentials as a virtuoso pianist-- yet he was critical of Czerny when he attempted some minor alterations.
The looming masterpieces written by Mozart and Beethoven for this combination of instruments seem to have intimidated later generations of composers. None of classical music’s succeeding masters attempted works in the genre, but a number of lesser-known composers, including Danzi, Herzogenberg, and the composer-pianist Walter Gieseking attempted to fill the gap with often attractive but rarely performed works. Among these must be counted the Quintet in A minor of the German composer Ferdinand Thieriot. Like that of many of his contemporaries, Thieriot’s career was overshadowed by Brahms, but placed in historical hindsight, his works can now be appreciated for their high craftsmanship, melodic appeal, and sense of instrumental balance and color. The Quintet now makes a worthy companion piece to the Beethoven masterwork, bringing the five instruments squarely into the full bloom of the Romantic era. A graceful opening movement in the home tonality gives way to an Intermezzo in A major with an allegretto � meter, punctuated by scherzo-like episodes in fast 3/8 time. The beautiful, hymn-like third movement opens with a horn solo with the secondary theme in minor tonality introduced by the bassoon. The last movement is a fast rondo in 4/8 time, concluding with an up-tempo coda in the major tonality.
The piano and wind ensemble is composed of principal players in the wind sections of the Mother Lode Friends of Music Orchestra, a leading orchestral ensemble serving the central region of the Sierra foothills. Joining them is Friends of Music President and pianist Ron Brickman. Anchoring the wind quartet are twin sisters oboist Jane Buzzard and bassoonist Gail Buzzard. Trained at the University of Northern Colorado, both teach music in the public schools of Tuolumne County. Clarinettist Hank King, longtime teacher of music at Amador High School, maintains a busy career as conductor of the Mother Lode Brass and Reed Band, the Mother Lode Youth Symphony, a member of the Folsom Symphony and teacher of jazz ensembles in the Amador County schools. The most recent member of the quintet is French horn player Bill Minkel. Now residing in Arnold, Bill comes from the Santa Clara Valley, where he was principal horn for many years with the Nova Vista Symphony. He has also performed with the Stanford Symphony, West Bay Opera, Monterey County Symphony and many other ensembles. Pianist Ron Brickman grew up in West Point in Calaveras County, where he returned in the early 1990’s following a career as an academic and government consultant. Since assuming the head of the Mother Lode Friends of Music, he has performed regularly as recitalist and chamber musician. He has performed as soloist with the Friends of Music Orchestra and other ensembles, and has accompanied such world-class musicians as flutist Laurel Zucker, soprano Alexis Magaro, and concert violinists Corina Stoian and Joseph Gold.