for woodwind quintet

Scoring

               flute, Bb clarinet, oboe, bassoon, horn

Composer's Notes

   This is a suites consisting of six parts.

   Suite 1: Leisure

   Suite 2: Reminisence

   Suite 3: Anguish

   Suite 4: Humor

   Suite 5: Warmth

   Suite 6: Ecstasy

                                                  (recording)

This work consists of six short movements—Leisure, Reminisence, Anguish, Humor, Warmth, and Ecstasy. The composer employs the technique of "character variations," allowing the same musical material to take on diverse emotional expressions across different movements.

In "Leisure," the flute hovers lightly in the high register like a morning breeze, while the clarinet and bassoon provide a warm foundation below, evoking the image of a person sitting alone on a mountaintop, watching clouds drift and scatter. 

Transitioning into "Reminisence," the oboe softly sings a slightly husky melody, like fingers brushing against yellowed pages when opening an old photo album, as past memories flicker dimly and brightly amid the tremolos of the woodwinds.

The "Anguish" movement resembles two people, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, wanting to speak but tripping over their words. The bassoon repeatedly hammers a stubborn rhythmic figure in the low register, like a lingering thought that cannot be shaken off. The pitch treatment mimics the sobs and sighs of a human voice in moments of anxiety.

In "Humor," the five instruments seem to transform into five friends of distinct personalities. The flute interjects playfully, the horn responds with honest warmth, and the clarinet weaves through, stitching everything together. Whimsy ripples through the chasing interplay of voices.

In "Warmth," the bassoon unusually delivers a gentle, low melody, like a father’s broad, warm hand softly resting on a child’s forehead, basking in the tender morning sunlight. 

Finally, the closing movement, "Ecstasy," unleashes all accumulated energy. The voices intertwine and ascend in rapid rhythms, joy and lightness merging at last into a brilliant, radiant blaze.