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Nicholas Daniel, oboe
Joy Farrall, clarinet
Michael Cox, flute
Sarah Burnett, bassoon
Stephen Bell, horn
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The Haffner Wind Ensemble is one of Britain's
leading chamber ensembles and one of the most established wind quintets in
Britain. Each member of the ensemble is a chamber musician and a soloist
as well as a principal of the Britten Sinfonia; in addition, all are
experienced teachers in the UK and abroad. The breadth of their musical
experience as individuals and their extensive work together in the Britten
Sinfonia combine to create a secure and fluent ensemble, one which plays
with freshness and vivacity and which excels not only in the classics of
the wind repertoire but also in contemporary music.
In addition to playing wind quintets, the
ensemble brings together colleagues and guests to play larger scale
chamber music, including quintet with piano, octet and nonet as well as
works such as Mozart's Gran Partita for thirteen winds and double-bass and
the new arrangement by Maurice Hodge of Mozart's Piano Duet Sonata K497
for the same forces with flute. Pianists with whom they have worked
include Imogen Cooper, Paul Lewis, Angela Hewitt and Julius Drake.
The Haffner Wind Ensemble's repertoire
includes many standard classics as well as contemporary works, old and new
arrangements and music for education programmes and workshops. The
ensemble can boast an impressive list of new commissions from such leading
composers as Michael Berkeley, Martin Butler, Gary Carpenter, Phillip
Cashian, Colin Matthews, Anthony Powers and John Woolrich.
The ensemble is regularly heard on BBC
Radio 3, Classic FM and other broadcasting organisations and has toured
extensively throughout the UK and overseas including appearances at major
festivals such as Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Bath, Stockholm and the Proms. It
has taken part in major educational projects in the UK and has been the
resident ensemble for South East Arts and the University of Southampton.
Recordings include the complete wind
chamber music of William Alwyn, the highly successful Haffner Collection
featuring regular recital classics, the critically acclaimed CD of
Sonatina No.2 for Sixteen Wind by Richard Strauss and a recording of both
wind quintets by Françaix. They have also released a best-selling CD of
Mozart wind concertos, including the Sinfonia Concertante, for the Classic
FM label; this recording is broadcast regularly.
The Haffner Wind Ensemble enjoys an
enviable reputation for imaginative programming, juxtaposing the classic
and the contemporary, for championing contemporary music, for outstanding
musicianship and, above all, for its warm and engaging performances.
General Management
Note to promoters: please do not use the
above biography for publicity or programme purposes; contact Pro
Artist for the most recent version.
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