Works for Woodwind Quintet

I have written three works for woodwind quintet. This is not a medium whose standard repertoire I like and so in these works I have tried to do something "different" with the five instruments. Certainly the most successful of these works is the first, Chole. It was only my fifth composition but it was awarded a prize in the 1975 CBC/Canada Council Competition for Young Canadian Composers and that certainly gave me confidence to continue composing.

3. Three Humours for Woodwind Quintet, Op. 45 (1991) When I was commissioned by the Aeolian Winds to write another major work for wind quintet, I decided to continue to "theme" of Chole and write a three-movement work describing the other three Greek humours: Phlegmatic, Melancholy, and Sanguine. This work is much less avant-garde than Chole but is still fairly difficult for the players.

2. Ode for Winds, Op. 31a (1984) This is an arrangement for woodwind quintet of my work Ode, Op. 31, a setting of the final verse of the Ode to Newfoundland. The work lasts a mere 2 minutes.

1. Cholê, Op. 17 (1975) My first work for woodwind quintet is among my best and most avant-garde. It represents in music the Greek "humour" of chole (black bile or anger). It was recorded on vinyl by the CBC and has recently been re-released on the CD FOLIA, produced by the Canadian Music Centre.