New Amram Quintet Given Expert Reading

The University of Maryland Woodwind Quintet (William Montgomery, flute; Greg Steinke, oboe; Norman Heim, clarinet; William Allgood, baasoon; Orrin Olson, French horn; with Emerson Meyers, piano. The Textile Museum, Program: Quintet in E Flat Major, K. 452, Mozart; Quintet in E Flat Major, Op 16, Beethoven; Quintet for Winds, Amram; Sextet, Poulenc.

The University of Maryland Woodwind Quintet was in very good form last night at the Textile Museum. The occasion was the Kindler Foundation's annual memorial concert, at which each year the memory of Hans Kindler, the Washington National Symphony's original conductor, is honored with the performance of a new composition commissioned by the Foundation that bears his name.

The commissioned work this year is a facile and imaginative Quintet for Winds by Washington's native son, David Amram. It received its premiere performance last night by the Maryland Quintet, and I expect the composer was pleased with the careful and expert reading that he heard as a member of the audience. Amram,seems to write with an easy grace for all instruments, but his knowledge of the timbres and technical capabilities of winds is quite special.

This new quintet probably will be played often in the next few years. It has a brilliant virtuoso sound, it seems well written for each instrument's range and special effectiveness, it has a lyrical second movement and an engaging last movement with a good theme for its variations, and audiences will love it.

"Maryland, My Maryland" is quoted in it, a la Charles Ives, and it has a variation for mouth piece noises.