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Windswept Keys
September 13, 2025 • 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
An Evening of Wit, Charm, and Lyrical Beauty
Spring Wind Quintet kicks off the season with Rossini’s playful Sonata No. 1, Previn’s jazzy Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, and Thuille’s lush, Romantic Sextet in B-flat Major. A night of charm, color, and irresistible energy.
Program:
ROSSINI Sonata for Wind Quartet No. 1 in F Major
PREVIN Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano
THUILLE Sextet in B-Flat Major, Op. 6
Jonathan Korth
Pianist Jonathan Korth enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, collaborator, and teacher, where he is faculty at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa’s Music Department. His sizable presence piques the audience’s attention and delivers with the satisfyingly deep and colorful sound he has become known for. He is a prolific concertizer, with international performances not only in Bangkok, Beijing, Brussels, London, Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo, but also throughout our islands and in prized stateside venues like Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall.
Jonathan’s deep appreciation and love for chamber music has led to recent partnerships with musicians such as violinists Martin Beaver, Stefan Jackiw, and Robert McDuffie, and cellists Zuill Bailey and Sung-Won Yang. He also finds frequent chamber music partners with many musicians in the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra. An avid supporter of increasing access to classical music, he is the longtime president of the Honolulu Chamber Music Series and has attracted a diverse international teaching studio from the US and Asia. Grateful to have made his home in Honolulu, he enjoys hiking and great meals, two well-paired activities.
Spring Wind Quintet
The Spring Wind Quintet performs concerts and educational services throughout Hawai‘i, nationally and internationally. Repertoire includes contemporary, pops, and Hawaiian music, plus the standard classics. Interest in new music and world music has inspired the creation of several original works and numerous new arrangements. Collaborating with their string, brass, and keyboard colleagues in Chamber Music Hawai‘i, the Spring Wind Quintet has performed and also commissioned many works for expanded and mixed instrumentation. The quintet’s work with Hawaiian artists led to a Grammy nomination in 2013 (“Malama Ko Aloha”) and a Nā Hōkū Hanohano nomination in 2016 (“Paka’a Lanakila!”). Spring Wind Quintet is a recipient of grants from Chamber Music America’s Ensemble Residency program and from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Program Notes
Written by Hayden Hawkins
Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868)
Sonata for Wind Quartet No. 1 in F Major (1804, rev. 1826)
Best known for his comic operas like The Barber of Seville and La Cenerentola, Gioachino Rossini composed his string work Six Sonate a quattro in a handful of days at just 12 years old. Originally written for two violins, cello, and double bass, the opening sonata of that work in G major has been re-arranged for flute, clarinet, bassoon and horn in the key of F major.
In this rendition, the sonata takes on a fresh character while maintaining the youthful spirit of the original. Following the style of sonata the young composer would have been familiar with in his time, the first movement is upbeat and lyrical, with light, conversational exchanges between instruments. A gentle and tuneful slow movement then follows, before giving way to a spirited finale that foreshadows Rossini’s gift for rhythm and humor.
While modest in scope, this early sonata is a snapshot of a young composer whose natural melodic instincts and theatrical flair were well on the way to greatness. Translated into the vibrant timbres of a wind ensemble, the piece serves as a reminder that great musical personality can show itself even in the earliest stages of a composer’s life.
André Previn (1929–2019)
Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano (1994)
Composer, conductor, jazz pianist, and Hollywood arranger, André Previn spent his career moving between musical worlds. His Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano reflects that versatility, blending classical chamber traditions with rhythmic vitality and harmonic color drawn from his work in jazz and film. Scored for a pair of double reeds and piano, the trio runs about 20 minutes and offers a rich variety of textures and moods.
Across its three movements, Previn gives each instrument moments to shine, whether in lyrical, intertwined lines for oboe and bassoon, or in sparkling, percussive figures for the piano. The writing demands both precision and flexibility from the performers, as it moves seamlessly between lighthearted interplay, soulful lyricism, and bursts of rhythmic drive.
While unmistakably modern in harmonic language, the trio retains an accessible, often jazzy quality. It’s music that invites the listener in, rewarding close attention to its shifting colors and rhythmic turns, and standing as a testament to Previn’s gift for writing across genres.
Ludwig Thuille (1861–1907)
Sextet in B-flat Major, Op. 6 (1888)
A close friend and colleague of Richard Strauss, Ludwig Thuille was an important figure in late Romantic German music and is best remembered today for his chamber music, particularly this work, the Sextet in B-flat Major, Op. 6. This piece pairs the piano with a wind quintet, striking a balance between the stylings of early Strauss, all while showcasing Thuille’s own fluency in both keyboard and wind writing.
The four-movement structure mirrors the scale and drama of a Romantic symphony, beginning with a lush Allegro that gives each instrument space to converse and build tension. A lyrical Larghetto follows, where the horn and clarinet share long, singing lines above the piano’s flowing accompaniment. The third movement, part scherzo, part Viennese dance, brings lightness and rhythmic play. The finale is bold and expansive, weaving earlier themes into a satisfying conclusion. Though not widely known in his lifetime outside of Germany and Austria, Thuille’s Sextet has endured as a standout of the Romantic chamber repertoire.