Nielsen
MidtVest Ensemble

MidtVest Ensemble

Charlotte Norholt, flute

Peter Kirstein, oboe

Žilvinas Brazauskas, clarinett

Yavor Petkov, bassoon

Neil Page, horn

C. Nielsen (1865-1931)

Quintetto per fiati op. 43

30’ | Ticket 10 €

With the support of the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Foundation

This event at the Palazzo Vescovile leads us to the discovery of one of the peaks of wind repertoire: Carl Nielsen’s Quintet Op. 43. It is performed by the MidtVest Ensemble, a Danish formation that combines technical precision with a strong narrative vocation, restoring the full expressive richness of this musical work.

Composed in 1922, the Quintet was born almost by chance, after Nielsen heard some musician friends and wrote music almost ad personam, as a musical portrait of their personalities. The work thus takes shape as a true “psychological portrait” in sound. And just as the personalities he depicts are different and contrasting, so are the three movements he composed: an Allegro ben moderato in sonata form, of bucolic and dialogic character; a Minuet of archaic and typically Nordic elegance; and a more dramatic Prelude, from which a Lutheran chorale emerges, giving rise to a set of variations of shifting character—between the grotesque, the lyrical, and the virtuosic.

The performance by the MidtVest Ensemble restores the freshness and spirit of the North, creating a striking dialogue with the Baroque setting of the Palazzo Vescovile.

Text by Valeria Del Giorno