(2025) Debussy, Nielsen, Say, Barber - Ensemble Astera

2025-04-14T09:39:01+02:00

Claude Debussy (1862–1918) always had a fondness for four-hand and two-piano writing, a quality that seems to underlie his orchestral compositions[1]. Perhaps this is precisely what makes his work for two pianos so suitable for transcription: the Petite Suite, with its rich sonorities, was arranged for orchestra by Henri Büsser and for wind quintet by Gordon Davies. Young Claude Debussy was recognised early on for his musical talent and was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire when he was only ten. He then broadened his artistic horizons during travels as an accompanist for Baroness von Meck. The Petite Suite is one of his early works. Published in 1889, it comprises four movements. The first, En Bateau (Sailing), recalls the barcarolle with its gentle rocking motion, first given by the clarinet and then the horn, surrounding the theme played by the flute. The central section becomes more animated before everything suddenly halts; time is suspended in a delicate transition that leads back to a varied reprise of the first theme. Le Cortège (Retinue), also in three sections, soars freely and light-heartedly before the return of the opening material. Debussy said that his Petite Suite “humbly seeks only to give pleasure”; this joy is perceived here, foreshadowing that of Fêtes (Festivals), the central movement of the Nocturnes for orchestra, premiered ten years later. Borrowing from Verlaine his melancholy and nostalgia for the “fêtes galantes” of the ancient régime, the Menuet is a delicate and diaphanous piece, where tonality gives way to modality.

Finally, a theme in a short-long rhythm, introduced by the horn, launches the joyous Ballet, reminiscent of Emmanuel Chabrier’s contemporaneous Suite pastorale. A waltz motif gradually establishes itself and becomes the counterpoint to the first theme in the concluding section. The joy of this music is infectious, spilling over into the programme’s other works.

Carl Nielsen’s Wind Quintet Op. 43 shares with Debussy’s work a pastoral, luminous character infused with a sense of humour. Coming from a modest background, Carl Nielsen (1865–1931) studied with Niels Gade at the Copenhagen Conservatory and received a scholarship that enabled him to study in Germany, France, and Italy. Initially a violinist and later a conductor at the Royal Danish Opera, he was appointed professor at the Copenhagen Conservatoire, eventually becoming its honorary director shortly before his death. His compositional style, which contributed to expanding tonality into an “evolving” tonality, is often compared to his contemporary Jean Sibelius (1865–1957)[2]. However, it is primarily the composer’s admiration for Haydn and Mozart that shines through in this work. The idea of a wind quintet was sparked during a phone call with his friend Christian Christiansen, who was then rehearsing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon K. 297b. Enthralled by what he heard, Nielsen asked to attend the rehearsal. “Nielsen knew us all,” recounts oboist Sven Felumb. “We played Mozart’s Koncertantes Quartet [sic], where the final movement is an incomparable series of variations. He became immensely happy. We drank some tea (or was it beer?). He talked and talked about Mozart, wind players etc. But then he suddenly became quiet. So he gave us all a kind look and promised to compose a wind quintet if we promised to perform it. He confided to us that he was very captivated by the way we played our instruments. He referred to the combination of our different personalities and the characteristics of our instruments. He said that the quintet would contain variations, where he would do his best to reflect every personality[3].” And so he did. The first two movements are highly reminiscent of Mozart, starting with an Allegro ben moderato in sonata form, whose freshness and lightness evoke nature, featuring deep timbres answering the flute’s airy notes while repeated motifs of repeated notes bouncing from one instrument to another seem to evoke birdsong. The Minuet pursues this lightness with a spirit and humour strongly indebted to Haydn. Finally, the third movement begins with a solemn Praeludium, which, in contrast to the preceding movements, establishes an almost unsettling atmosphere before the composer’s chorale gradually restores a sense of lightness through a set of eleven variations. As Nielsen had announced, these variations highlight not only the personality of each instrument but also of each performer, like many knowing winks. Following this quintet, Nielsen planned moreover to compose a concerto for each member of the Copenhagen Wind Quintet, a project he only partially completed[4]. The premiere was hailed by critics as a true success for a bright and sunny work[5].

The quintet Alevi dedeler rakı masasında, Op. 35 (Alevi Dedes at the Raki Table), was written in 2011 by Turkish pianist and composer Fazıl Say (b. 1970). Structured in four movements, the piece depicts the discussion of five spiritual masters, the Alevi Dedes: “They’re talking about everything, life, humans, world, religion. I’ve composed a piece of work based on a true story I was told. Here, each instrument represents one of the dedes. The first two consist of rather amusing talk, the third includes Âşık Veysel’s The Day and Night, and the fourth part towards the final is a bit more abstract[6]”. The first movement introduces a recurring unison refrain, which reappears throughout the piece, soon supported by a light and dance-like rhythm, interspersed with moments of tension. The second movement adds a touch of humour and irony. Darker accents signal a shift in tone in the third movement, before the final movement returns to the lightness of the opening, infused with a sense of magic and “abstraction”. It leaves the listener to dream pensively in front of the setting sun.

Constructed in a single movement, Samuel Barber’s (1910–1981) Summer Music Op. 31 was composed in 1953 for the Detroit Chamber Music Society. It was initially conceived for a septet of wind and string instruments but became a quintet and premiered on 20th March 1956. The piece is structured in different sections that echo one another and highlight the timbral qualities of each instrument. The first theme, carried by the oboe, creates a tender and nostalgic atmosphere before giving way to a faster, humorous passage that leads to a motoric section alternating between eight and seven semiquaver measures. Eventually, the melancholic oboe melody returns. A second section presents the flute’s song over murmuring clarinets and bassoons before other voices take up the melody, culminating in a festive section before the return of the opening’s nostalgia.

Bénédicte Gandois
Translated from French by Michelle Bulloch - Musitext

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[1] François Lesure, « Debussy et les transcriptions », in Revue belge de Musicologie, 1998, Vol. 52, p. 85.

[2] Source : François-René Tranchefort, « Carl Nielsen », in La Musique de chambre, Fayard, 1989, p. 669.

[3] Anecdote reported by Karen R. Moses, Nielsen, Hindemith and Schoenberg: Foundations of the Twentieth-Century Wind Quintet, Doctoral Thesis, Washington D. C., 2015, p. 21.

[4] He indeed completed a Flute Concerto, premiered in 1926, and a Clarinet Concerto, premiered in 1928, to which one can add two Fantasies for oboe and orchestra.

[5] “Carl Nielsen’s quintet is a notable contribution to the wind chamber repertory, and one of his sunniest compositions”, John Horton, in The Musical Times, vol. 110, nr. 1514, April 1969, p. 387.

[6] Source: Presentation of the quintet by the composer, available on youtube.com.

ENSEMBLE ASTERA

The woodwind quintet Ensemble Astera, was the first prize winner of the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition of 2023.

Since the founding of the Ensemble in 2019, the musicians of the Ensemble Astera have been united by friendship and a common passion for chamber music. They are keen to communicate their shared musical vision, namely the blending of the diverse sounds and timbres of their five wind instruments in search for unity and the broadest artistic dimension.

The ensemble members’ experiences with major international orchestras have enhanced their cohesion, distinctive sound, and musical affinity with the wind quintet. This Franco-Swiss Ensemble offers a refreshing perspective on the classical music scene. The musicians are driven by an insatiable enthusiasm, investing their energy towards thoughtful and committed performances, whilst making the most of their ensemble’s many sound possibilities.

The Ensemble’s artistic dynamism is also characterised by its approach to the contemporary repertoire, and its strong desire to bring innovation to concerts halls. This was acknowledge by the winning of the prize for best performance of the commissioned work at the 2023 Nielsen competition.

The Ensemble Astera regularly performs for festivals and music seasons across Europe, such as Lavaux Classic, Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival, Davos Festival, Radio France Festival, Rencontres Musicales d’Evian and the Murten Classics Festival among others. The Ensemble has also been heard on France Musique, Radio Télévision Suisse and Danish Radio.

Since 2023, the Ensemble Astera is Artist in residence at the Fondation Singer-Polignac in Paris.

ensembleastera.com

ARTISTS

Coline Richard, flute
Yann Thenet, oboe
Moritz Roelcke, clarinet
Gabriel Potier, horn
Jeremy Bager, bassoon

REVIEWS

Wukali

« L’Ensemble Astera est un quintette à vent franco-suisse fondé en 2019 par cinq musiciens diplômés de la Haute École de Musique de Lausanne. Nous les avons découverts le 7 octobre 2024, à l’occasion de la présentation de la programmation de l’édition 2025 du Festival de Pâques d’Aix-en-Provence. Ce n’était pas un simple intermède musical offert au public du Conservatoire Darius Milhaud, mais une véritable révélation. Leur performance nous a captivés d’emblée, et la rencontre en coulisses n’a fait que confirmer une évidence : ce rendez-vous avec eux était immanquable ! [..] » - Pétra Wauters, avril 2025

La Provence

"[..] Ils ont passionné l'auditoire. Fort de leur premier album consacré à Debussy, Carl Nielsen, Fazil Say, et Samuel Barber, à paraître fin mai, l'Ensemble Astera a choisi un programme très éclectique. [..] L'ensemble Astera, humble et précis, fait des merveilles, non seulement dans ce qui fut une découverte d'une œuvre pratiquement jamais jouée, mais tout le temps d'un récital réussissant à unifier des morceaux très disparates, formant un tout et racontant une histoire d'émotions où le dialogue est roi." - Jean-Rémi Barland, avril 2025

destimed.fr

« Parallèlement à leur magnifique concert du Festival de Pâques au Théâtre du Jeu de Paume, l’ensemble Astera sort un album consacré à des compositeurs de facture très différente. Rencontre avec Yann Thenet, hautboïste du groupe. » - Jean-Rémi Barland, mai 2025

La Liberté

"Les mélodies descriptives de Debussy prennent une légèreté particulière, jouées par des vents: les quatre mouvements de la Petite Suite, qui se prête particulièrement bien à la transcription, sont interprétés avec un bonheur communicatif par l’ensemble Astera (flûte, hautbois, clarinette, cor et basson), en ouverture de son premier disque. [..] - Elisabeth Haas, juillet 2025

Diapason Magazine

"Issu de la Haute école de musique de Lausanne et grand vainqueur du Concours international de musique de chambre Carl Nielsen 2023, le jeune Ensemble Astera fait ici des débuts au disque en dents de scie. Dans la transcription de la Petite Suite de Debussy, la pâte sonore séduit par son homogénéité, son impeccable justesse, ses interventions individuelles ciselées et pondérées. [..]" - Bertrand Hainaut, septembre 2025

ResMusica

"[..] Une cohésion et une précision rythmique remarquables ainsi qu'une sonorité homogène marquent cette sélection de pièces incontournables dans ce registre. Le jeu dénué d'affectation des musiciens de l'Ensemble Astera nous fait espérer la découverte d'autres lectures avec les mêmes acuité technique, sens des nuances et enthousiasme communicatif." - Jean-Luc Caron, Septembre 2025

Opus Klassiek

"[..] Finding the right (or at least the most convincing) approach in the versatile repertoire (from classical to contemporary) for wind quintet is no easy task, but for this wind ensemble, there seems to be no obstacle that cannot be overcome with enormous dedication and, moreover, without any technical limitations. The phenomenal interplay of colours comes to life thanks in part to the equally brilliant recording." - Aart van der Wal, October 2025

24 Heures - Matin Dimanche

"Réunissant des ex-étudiants des hautes écoles de Suisse romande et deux anciens solistes de l’OCL, l’Ensemble Astera s’impose comme une réjouissante formation à vent. [..] La transcription de la «Petite suite» de Debussy est chargée de parfums entêtants, prolongés par la «Summer Music» de Barber. Le volubile opus de Fazil Say conçu comme une conversation de cinq maîtres spirituels turcs, les pères alévis, parlant «de tout, de la vie, des humains, du monde, de la religion», est piquant à souhait." - Matthieu Chenal, septembre 2025

MusicWeb International

"The members of Ensemble Astera, the Franco-Swiss wind quintet, have been performing together since 2019. They all have experience of playing in major European orchestras. As a group, they have a stated commitment: to bring wind chamber music to the widest possible audience, with a strong emphasis on contemporary repertoire. [..] It is brilliantly conveyed by this quite outstanding young ensemble. I love their playing, and cannot wait for their next recording." - Gwyn Parry-Jones, October 2025

CliMag'

"Le monde de la musique pour ensemble de vents semble bien se prêter à la fantaisie et bien souvent les compositeurs, sans doute titillés par les contrastes et la franchise des différents timbres, nous donnent l’impression de bien s’amuser. Avec cet album, l’ensemble nous propose une réjouissante variété qui montre la richesse et les exigences d’un tel répertoire, ici centré sur le XXe siècle. [..]" - Bertrand Hainaut, novembre 2025