Over the
years chamber music has occupied a very definite niche. And that niche, for the
most part, is filled with string quartets.
Sometimes you’ll
hear a piano trio (piano, violin, cello) and maybe a violin/viola duet at a
chamber music concert. There are other variations, but you can usually bet that
string instruments will play the dominant role.
And for good
reason. String instruments blend seamlessly
together and the constant motion of the bow arm and the hands on the fingerboard
is always interesting to watch. Also, the music played in chamber music
concerts are usually 18th and 19th century pieces written by the
great masters.
In the last
20 years, however, the Imani Winds has re-written the chamber music dance card.
Here is a chamber ensemble that has created a unique world for themselves,
their ensemble, and their audiences.
First off,
the woodwind quintet is the most troublesome chamber ensemble to prefect. Unlike a string quartet, each of the five woodwind
instruments is totally different from one another. For a woodwind quintet to develop
a homogeneous blend is a difficult challenge.
