Woodwind Quintet "Solar Winds" and Pianist John Kramer in Concert, October 28th

Winchester Unitarian Society opens its 17th annual concert series Friday, October 28th, with a performance by the acclaimed Boston-based woodwind quintet Solar Winds and pianist John Kramer. The program includes Francis Poulenc's Sextet for Winds and Piano, Carl Nielsen's Wind Quintet, and songs by Kurt Weill, among other works. The concert will be held in the Winchester Unitarian Society sanctuary, 478 Main Street, Winchester, at 8:00 p.m. It will also be live-streamed.

The Solar Winds quintet is composed of bassoonist Sally Merriman, clarinetist Diane Heffner, flutist Jill Dreeben, French horn player Neil Godwin, and oboist Charlyn Bethell. Pianist John Kramer will join the group to perform Poulenc's Sextet and other pieces on the program.

French composer and pianist Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) wrote a range of music, from songs and choral compositions to orchestral works for ballet, opera, and film. His Sextet for Winds and Piano is a three-movement chamber music piece. It premiered in 1933, with Poulenc on piano, although he later revised it extensively. Sextet is a lively work - written in a light-hearted vein, but with many shifts in mood, tempo, and musical styles.

Danish composer, conductor, and violinist Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) wrote symphonies, operas, concertos, chamber works, choral music, and songs. A classical aesthetic permeates Nielson's compositions, with modernist elements introduced in his later works. Nielsen wrote his three-movement Wind Quintet in 1922 with specific woodwind players in mind. It was "an attempt," he said, "to render the characters of the various instruments. At one moment they are all talking... at another they are quite alone."

Suggested donations at the door are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $5 for students. Masks are optional. The venue is handicapped accessible and street parking is available. For a link to the live-streamed concert, go to https://www.winchesteruu.org/news/concert-series. For more information, call 781-729-0949.

Others Details

Artists: bassoonist Sally Merriman, clarinetist Diane Heffner, flutist Jill Dreeben, French horn player Neil Godwin, oboist Charlyn Bethell, pianist John Kramer

Category: Arts | Performing Arts | Music

Time: 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm