Classical home listening - a dream wind ensemble and the female muse

The Guardian 0

The Orsino Ensemble and Pavel Kolesnikov sparkle their way through the belle époque. Plus, an inspired recital from pianist Antonio Oyarzabal

• Chamber music for wind tends to be overshadowed by that for strings (guilty as charged), but here’s a disc that beguiles and dazzles in every bar. Belle Époque: French Music for Wind (Chandos) features the Orsino Ensemble – formed in 2018, this is their debut album – and the pianist Pavel Kolesnikov. The chosen works, from around the turn of the last century, are for different combinations of instruments. Clarinettist Matthew Hunt and Kolesnikov revel in the voluptuous wit of Debussy’s Petite Pièce and Première Rhapsodie.