Rudolph Vrbsky, oboe

Judith Mendenhall, flute

Alexander Heller, bassoon

David Singer, clarinet

Robert Routch, horn

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The Aulos Wind Quintet was named a winner of the 1978 Naumburg Chamber Music Award. The ensemble formed in 1974 and concertized extensivey throughout the United States. They also participated at the Marlboro Music Festival, and made four nationwide Music From Marlboro tours. In addition, they were invited to perform at President Jimmy Carter's Inaugural receptions as representatives of the Festival.

Among artists they performed with included Rudolf Serkin, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Lorin Hollander and Perter Serkin.

They were known for their recordings on labels such as SWR Classic Archive and Koch Schwann, with albums featuring works by Rossini, Mengal, Milhaud, and Harbison.

The ensemble contributed significantly to the modern repertoire for wind quintet through both performing and advocating for new compositions.

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Review excerpts

"Each time the Aulos Wind Quintet comes to town seems more wonderful than the last. These five are simply wonderful musicians who should come to our concert stage every season." - Paul Hume, The Washington Post

"These musicians are dazzling in the precision of ensemble, unique in the freedom, they give each instrument to sound its individual character."

- Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe

As part of their Namburg prize, the Aulos Wind Quintet was awarded a commission by John Harbison, Wind Quintet, which received its world premiere on the Aulos Wind Quintet's Naumburg concert on December 18, 1978 in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. They performed the work in Boston's Jordan Hall on April 15, 1979, and subsequently recorded it for CRI.

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Naumburg Concert, December 18, 1978, Alice Tully Hall Lincoln Center

Aulos Wind Quintet, 1978 Chamber Music Award

‍Rudolph Vrbsky, oboe; Judith Mendenhall, flute; Alexander Heller, bassoon; David Singer, clarinet; Robert Routch, horn

Program

Gyorgy Ligeti: Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet

Rossini: Quartet

John Harbison: Wind Quintet, World premiere and Naumburg commission

Schoenberg: Wind Quintet, Op. 26

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Program note for Wind Quintet by John Harbison

"Quintet, the Naumburg Foundation commission, was a welcome opportunity, because I admired Aulos's playing, because I had been writing a string of impractical pieces, and because I regarded the writing of a quintet for woodwinds challenging. It is not a naturally felicitous combination of instruments, such as a string quartet. I was determined to deal in mixtures rather than counterpoints, and to strive for a classical simplicity of surface - to maximize what I felt to be the great strength of thre combination, the ability to present things clearly. The piece especially emphasizes mixtures and doublings and maintains a classically simple surface. It is extremely challenging to play, and one of the principal rewards of the piece has been the opportunity to work with a number of resourceful, inquisitive, and fearless wind players in the mutually beneficial expansion of their repertory."

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