German clarinetist Dieter Klöcker and his Consortium Classicum ensemble have been responsible for unearthing a great deal of worthwhile wind ensemble repertory of the 18th and 19th centuries, and in the 1990s and 2000s they've often been backed by superb engineering from the audiophile label MDG (Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm). Few of their releases, however, have been as uniformly successful as this one, originally from 1992 and reissued in the MDG Gold series. The rich performances of Dvorák's Serenade for winds in D minor, Op. 44, and Mendelssohn's Overture for winds in B flat major would be worth the listener's time and money by themselves. The Dvorák perfectly captures the rather breathless quality of this serenade, one of the first works in which the composer began to develop a sense of himself as Czech. The Mendelssohn is billed as a recording of the original version; it is more often heard in an arrangement by the composer for what would now be called a symphonic band. The version is not quite original; it replaces the rare bass English horn (which would really be something to hear) with a double bass. But the real delight here is the very uncommon Serenade for winds in B flat major by Danish composer Wilhelm Emilius Hartmann, who lived from 1836 to 1898 and composed this work in the 1880s. It was hardly progressive; harmonically and structurally it's closer to Schubert than to Brahms. It's also well-nigh perfect in every detail, with a mastery of instrumental effect that's matched only in the works of the acknowledged greats of orchestration. This is the sort of music that, although light, demands concentration at the remove of a century and a quarter, for its charms are subtle. But they're certainly there, and they're captured in true color by a group seemingly born to play the music. A real find.
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