Philharmonia Chamber Players: Salonen & Nielsen

Esa-Pekka Salonen, one of the leading figures in a strong field of composers and conductors who honed their skills in Finland, was Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra until 2021. So it’s fitting that the Philharmonia’s wind players have chosen his quintet as part of the orchestra’s Nordic Soundscapes series. He explains, ‘The title Memoria refers to two things: partly to some sweet-and-sour memories from more than 20 years ago, and partly to the death of Luciano Berio, the great Italian composer, whose music I greatly admire.’ Nielsen’s Wind Quintet is a mainstay of the repertoire for this attractive and versatile combination of instruments. His biographer Robert Simpson wrote that ‘Nielsen’s fondness for wind instruments is closely related to his love of nature, his fascination for living, breathing things.’ Nielsen expertly draws out the character of each member of the ensemble, in music that is sometimes nostalgic, heir to the courtly dances and divertimenti of earlier centuries, and sometimes refreshingly modern. The finale is a striking set of variations on a deceptively simple hymn tune written by Nielsen himself.