Wind quintet to breeze through UCLA Saturday
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 18, 2000 9:00 p.m.
 UCLA Performing Arts The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet
will perform at UCLA’s Ostin Hall this Sunday at 7 p.m. The group
has added U.S. pianist Jon Nakamatsu for the duration of its U.S.
tour.
By LiLi Tan
Daily Bruin Contributor
UCLA’s very own Ostin Hall will soon be filled with the
harmonious sounds of the blissful bassoon, calming clarinet,
outstanding oboe, fantastic flute, harmonious horn and profound
piano, performing together for a concert not to be missed.
This Sunday, UCLA Performing Arts presents the Berlin
Philharmonic Wind Quintet, one of the world’s most renowned
wind ensembles. The Quintet features Michael Hassel, flute; Andreas
Wittman, oboe; Walter Seyfarth, clarinet; Henning Trog, bassoon;
and Fergus McWilliam, horn. The five chamber musicians added a
sixth member for their United States tour, the prominent pianist
Jon Nakamatsu.
The quintet formed in 1988, when they met in a coffee house in
Berlin to do a small after-hours concert. All five were members of
the same wind section in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. After
playing together in a small group, the men decided they should
perform together again.
“It was almost like a love affair,” McWilliam said
in a recent interview. “We had a certain chemistry that made
us decide that the five of us had to do this again and again and
again. It carried on for almost 13 years now and we’re still
going.”
Although every member of the group is plays differently from
each other, they cooperate effectively. Other ensembles, depending
on the personalities in the group, rarely compliment each other as
well as the quintet.
“You’re all breathing as one even though everything
each of us brings is something different,” said Nakamatsu.
“These men have played together for years and their reflexes
are group oriented. They really play together as a unit.”
Hassel originally studied the piano and organ, but the flute
later became his passion. He was a member of the Frankfurt Radio
Symphony Orchestra and its Wind Quintet from 1982 to 1984. He
predominantly plays throughout Europe and Japan as a chamber
musician and a soloist.
Wittman entered the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy
immediately after graduation in 1985. A year later, he gained
membership in the orchestra itself. Along with the Berlin
Philharmonic Quintet, Wittman is also a member of the “Winds
of the Berlin Philharmonic” and is an international soloist
and chamber musician.
Seyfarth hails from Dusseldorf and, like Wittman, studied at the
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy. Later, he was a member of
the Saarland Radio Symphony Orchestra, and then was appointed to
the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Besides touring with the
quintet, Seyfarth is a part of the teaching faculty at the
Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
Trog initially studied church music, which later led him to the
bassoon. While still in school, he participated in concert tours
and made many recordings with other ensembles. Like Wittman, Trog
was a member of the “Winds of the Berlin Philharmonic”
and continues extensive chamber music and solo performances
throughout the world.
McWilliam, born in the Scottish Highlands, studied primarily in
Canada, Holland and Sweden. Before joining the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra in 1985, he was a member of the Detroit Symphony and the
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestras.
With their vast experience and backgrounds, it’s no wonder
the quintet is world renowned.
“They’re phenomenal. You’d be amazed at the
versatility of the wind instruments and the sounds they can
produce. The quintet starts playing at such a high level and it
just keeps getting better.”
The quintet is proud to add Nakamatsu to their group to form a
sextet for their U.S. tour. Nakamatsu has won many prestigious
awards, including “Named Debut Artist of the Year”
(1998).
“Nakamatsu is a tremendous musician, both as a soloist and
a chamber musician. He’s really one of the big finds among
American pianists,” said McWilliam.
Though the five wind instruments blend together so well, the
piano adds a new element to the group’s music.
“The piano provides a whole new depth of color and
possibilities, and a whole new range of sounds,” McWilliam
said.
The piano is featured in two out of the five pieces which the
quintet and Nakamatsu will perform Sunday evening. Nakamatsu will
contribute to the group’s performance of Ludwig van
Beethoven’s “Quintet for Piano and Winds in E
flat-Major
Op. 16″ and Francis Poulenc’s “Sextet for
Piano and Wind Quintet.”
McWilliam said the Poulenc piece was his favorite of the
concert.
“Poulenc is from the more modern French school, almost
sort of humorous and witty, but a gorgeous piece with a very
powerful bittersweet message in it and tremendous
virtuosity,” he said. “It always brings down the
house.”
The other three pieces performed by the quintet include Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart’s “Piece for a Musical Clock in
F-minor,” Anton Reicha’s “Andante for English
Horn,” and Andre Jolivet’s “Serenade for Wind
Quintet.”
“All the pieces are really easy to sit down and listen to
and really enjoy for what they are,” Nakamatsu said.
The musicians insist that the not-so-musically-inclined can
listen and understand classical music. If you can relax, you can
enjoy classical music, they said.
“The best thing about people who don’t normally go
to classical music concerts is that (this show) is something
totally different,” Nakamatsu said. “You can just come
and sit there and enjoy something really soothing and really
beautiful.
“You’re at (the concert) to relax and have a good
time and let the music take you where it wants to,” Nakamatsu
continued. “You don’t have to have anything other than
an open ear to enjoy it.”
MUSIC: The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet performs Sunday,
Oct. 22 at 7 p.m., at Ostin Hall. For more information, contact the
Central Ticket Office at (310) 825-2101. Student tickets can also
be purchased through the UCLA Performing Arts Student Committee Web
site at www.sca.ucla.edu.
