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Suite For Woodwind Quintet
by Bruce Stark
woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon), about 16 minutes (four movements)
(score 54 pages)
Belle-Kane Publications
$29.99 (US) score and parts

Suite For Woodwind Quintet was commissioned in 2009 by members of the Sapporo Symphonietta Woodwind Quintet: Miyuki Sugano (fl), Yukie Hamasaka (ob), Kumiko Fuse (cl), Yasuhiro Sugano (hrn), and Kumio Maekawa (bsn).

I. Serenade, II. Pastoral, III. Meditation, IV. Shuffle

Program Notes
In Suite For Woodwind Quintet I hope to offer four movements of contrasting character that bring out my favorite qualities of these instruments, and give the players a variety of roles to play. The minor 3rd motif played by horn in the first movement is like a recurring mantra, and other motifs and melodies also unify the piece with multiple appearances. Briefly, Serenade draws from energetic minimalistic textures, broad melody and jazz-inspired passages, Pastoral features the flute and clarinet in gentle, hymn-like phrases, Meditation, (inspired by Native American cultures) features the oboe singing over an undulating backdrop, and Shuffle is a swinging, syncopated jam session.

- Bruce Stark