New: 2012
✔ There is now an entry for the Soni Ventorum quintet in Wikipedia. Article Although still incomplete, the listing will contain some interesting information and some useful links.
✔ Technical matters: all of the music links in this website are in high quality (192 or 224 kbit/s) mp3 format. However all Wikipedia music links, such as the ones in the article mentioned above, must be in the free Ogg-Vorbis format, which some believe to be superior to mp3. A side-by-side comparison is offered here - two versions of the same peformance of the Finale of the Gounod Petite Symphonie: mp3 and Ogg-Vorbis (Speed of download depends only upon how busy the particular server is at the moment, not upon the format.) We would be interested in hearing from our visitors about their experiences comparing the two or about any difficulties in connecting to Ogg-Vorbis files.
New:2011
✔ Crystal Records has just re-released in CD format the Taffanel Quintet and two Danzi Quintets: Op. 68, No. 2 in F major and Op. 68, No. 3 in D minor. order CD
Crystal's original Soni Ventorum LP recordings (No. 12 - 14 in the discography) are out of print, but the company still has copies of much of its LP inventory, new and in the original packaging. These recordings are still sought after by die-hard analog devotees. order LP
✔ There are many new additions to the list of downloadable performances to be found on the Archive page. All of the woodwind chamber music of Villa Lobos is now there as well as all six Rossini quartets.
✔ Among the many fine composers who have written important works for the Soni Ventorum, William O. Smith website stands out as one who has repeatedly challenged and delighted the group. Now a video of a half-hour public television interview from 1995 has become available. video Besides evoking nostalgia for the old days of public television, the broadcast explains much about Smith's remarkable career. A brief appearance by Joel Barbosa, clarinet, is included at the end of the show.
✔ Other recent additions to the page are works by Janáček, Saint-Saëns, Barber, Babbitt, Ligeti, Milhaud, Françaix, Bergsma and many others.
New: 2010
✔ Laila Storch's biography of Marcel Tabuteau, now in its third printing, has gathered an impressive number of new reviews. see reviews She now has solo and other performances of interest which can be found on the Artists page as well as the Archives page:
Cambini - Sinfonia Concertante No. 1 in C major. A rare early recording made in Italy in 1956, with Robert Cole, bassoon and
the Orchestra Accademia dell'Orso, Newell Jenkins conducting: 1. Allegro download mp3 2. Rondo Allegro download mp3
Bach - Adagio from the Concerto for Oboe and Violin download mp3 or: mp3 mirror
Mozart - Quartet for Oboe and Strings K.370 download mp3 or: mp3 mirror
✔ The Soni Ventorum Quintet is the most-recorded wind quintet. A complete listing of the group's commercial recordings is now available. discography. At present the Schoenberg Quintet is available for download:
1. Schwungvoll download mp3
2. Anmutig und Heiter: Scherzando download mp3
3. Etwas Langsam download mp3
4. Rondo download mp3
✔ The discography is from the book, "The Story of the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet" by the flutist and historian Megan Lyden. The book is now available for purchase in a variety of formats. book
✔ An assortment of posters from various tours has been added to the History page: from Milan, Venice, Naples and Palermo, Italy; Poznan, Poland; Paris, France;
Salonika, Greece: Ankara, Turkey and the group's favorite poster: Puerto Rico.
New: 2009
✔ Soni Ventorum television show excerpts have now been added to the Video Archive. Live performances of the Ibert quintet and the Françaix quartet can be found, as well as the always-amusing bassoon solo, Starý Bručoun (Old Grumper), by Fučik. video archive
✔This memoir and biography is already an"instant classic"!Storch, Laila. Marcel Tabuteau: "How do you expect to play the oboe if you can't peel a mushroom?". Indiana, 2008. 594p bibl index afp CD; ISBN 9780253349491, $29.95. Reviewed in 2009jan CHOICE.
A former student of Tabuteau, Storch (emer., Univ. of Washington School of Music) combines Tabuteau's biography and philosophies with institutional and cultural history and douses the whole with anecdotal humor. She begins with her own experiences of her teacher but reaches far beyond her personal knowledge. A world-renowned oboist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and professor at The Curtis Institute, Tabuteau (1887-1966) not only revolutionized oboe playing but also had a significant influence on orchestral teaching in the US. On the included CD, Tabuteau himself demonstrates his musical philosophy and his unique character. The cornucopia of stories and pictures volunteered by friends, family, students, and colleagues covers everything from his fumbles as a young oboist in New York, to his trouble during the gold embargo of 1933, to his retirement years in Nice. Combining a rich portrait of Tabuteau with discussion of the music and culture of period, Storch's intriguing book will appeal to a broad audience, not just oboists. Anyone interested in music will find Tabuteau's philosophies and Storch's research beneficial and applicable. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty/professionals; general readers. -- E. E. Frisbie, Lawrence University
From CHOICE – Reviews Online by American Library Association
✔There have been many recent additions to the page, "Archive: Download Music". Most of the recent additions give two options for downloading: "download mp3 " and "mp3 mirror". Visitors can choose between the two external servers currently running this material.
✔A newly added rarity is the Villa-Lobos masterpiece, Choros No. 7. This mega-chorinho displays the composer's mastery of what has been called ABCDEFG form; nevertheless, it is almost never performed. Aside from its extreme difficulty, its unusual demands include a Bb clarinet going down to low Eb, an elegant alto saxophone, and the "deal breaker": the ferocious col legno in the violin part! Here Martin Friedmann, the "yeoman of the bow men" leads the group as he demonstrates his sensitive echt-Wiener Bogenführung before turning savage at the end.
Villa Lobos, Heitor Choros #7 for flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon, violin and 'cello. Felix skowronek, flute; Laila Storch, oboe; William McColl, clarinet; Dr. Steve Allen, alto saxophone; Arthur Grossman, bassoon; Martin Friedmann, violin; Toby Saks, 'cello. download mp3 or: mp3 mirror
Please feel free to contact us at: musicians@soniventorum.com