Serenade for wind quintet

Zoltán Jeney, the flautist of the Budapest Wind Quintet, was always commissioning new works for his ensemble. We owe him thanks for enriching a repertoire that had been somewhat neglected by Hungarian composers.

I dedicated my 1951 “Serenade” to this ensemble. The first movement (in sonata form) is followed by an “Andante espressivo”. Here a pleasant oboe melody soars above the clarinet accompaniment. In the third movement, the “Saltarello”, I have made use of a rhythm I am particularly fond of: 9/8 quasi “tarantella”. At a particular moment a very high and virtuoso horn solo can be heard. — Ferenc Farkas