Calefax Reed Quintet Tickets

Not a standard musical group for there is little music composed for five woodwind players, Calefax Reed Quintet is compelled to make its own arrangements of older works. In so doing, it brings a new light to those works. Mostly it is revelatory to hear familiar pieces in these new arrangements played by excellent reed musicians. A steady diet of reed quintet music would not be to my taste, but this concert was an enjoyable one. I would like to hear this group again on occasional basis.

Magical! Phenomenal musicians, in a wonderful setting.

The Library of Congress performance of the Calefax Reed Quintet was one of the most memorable concerts I've attended. Their arrangements and selection of music was fresh, exciting and completely satisfying for any fine music lover like me. But, on top of that, the tone quality and intonation were richly rewarding. They expressed a wide range of colors and dynamics that brought a great deal of emotion and expression to each piece. There were times when it was hard to imagine the piece not being originally conceived for their instrumental combination. I certainly hope to see them again. Bought 2 CDs and had to listen to one of them immediately, that's how much their concert moved me! And yes, the CD was awesome too.

It was fun and very varied. Would like to see them again.

This group is most unusual and especially since they transcribe all sorts of music for their combination of clarinet, oboe, alto sax, bassoon and bass clarinet - very successfully for the most part.

Since there is little repertoire for reed quintet, Calefax performed arrangements of works written for other instruments. This made for an interesting program where even a standard repertoire piece was given a fresh interpretation. Much of the program was rarely heard pieces and they were all very well performed.

I really enjoyed their performance, as did my friend, who has a degree in saxaphoning (as I put it). They talked to us during the first half and gave background on the music they were playing, technical and historical aspects, and were very funny, laid back, and entertaining. They're also very, very good. If you have the chance to see them, I definitely recommend it.