Les Vents Français Presented by Liszt Academy

Let’s be honest: wind instruments come low down in the popularity ratings only after the violin, piano, cello and variations of these, and it is a rare person who gives precedent to the wind quintet genre. However, the situation is that a few years ago Les Vents Français were established from the cream of wind instrumentalists in France, headed up by world star flautist Emmanuel Pahud. Anyone listening to them play will be hard put to resist the feeling of ‘love at first sound’. The dream team, complemented for this recital by pianist Eric Le Sage, who captivate with an astoundingly balanced tone and masterful chamber playing, devote an important role to French works and this is evident in the ‘bookends’ to their Liszt Academy recital. The jewel of the programme is Mozart’s E-flat major piano quintet but as a curiosity there is one of the dramatic works by Hindemith, not forgetting the composition dating from the final years of the 19th century by Romantic composer August Klughardt who bequeathed a rich chamber orchestral oeuvre.