Bangkok Piano & Winds Quintet: Mozart, Norton and Milhaud

1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Quintet in E-flat major, K.452

The Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat major K.452, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who entered it in his catalogue of works on 30 March 1784. It was premiered two days later at the Imperial Royal Court Theatre in Vienna. Shortly after the premiere, Mozart wrote to his father that “I myself consider it to be the best thing I have written in my life.” It is scored for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon. Sarah Adams notes that “The four dissimilar wind timbres pitted against the piano in this extraordinary work must have posed Mozart with a compositional challenge. He contended with the instrumental balance by constructing themes easily divisible into small motifs and by changing textural groupings every few bars for a kaleidoscopic array of tone colours.”

2. Christopher Norton, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano – 2nd movement (“A Cool Day”)

hristopher Norton’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano was composed in 2012 for clarinetist Katie Canell of the Horizon Ensemble. The second movement, titled “A Cool Day,” is a slow, jazz-influenced piece designed for immediate accessibility.

Musically, it features a leisurely piano introduction followed by a “ruminative” clarinet theme supported by a rhythmic accompaniment. The movement adopts a soulful and brooding atmosphere that rises and falls before concluding with simple clarinet arpeggios that “fade to black”. Published by 80 Days Publishing, the sonata highlights Norton’s signature blend of classical structures with contemporary jazz and popular styles.

3. Darius Milhaud, Suite d’après Corrette, Op.161b

Composed in 1937, Suite d’après Corrette, Op. 161b is a neoclassical woodwind trio scored for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. This lighthearted, eight-movement suite is based on themes by the 18th-century French composer Michel Corrette, which Milhaud originally adapted for incidental theater music.

The work blends Baroque structures with Milhaud’s signature modernisms, including polytonality and playful rhythmic mischief. Lasting approximately 10 minutes, the movements—including a “Tambourin,” “Musette,” and “Le Coucou” - offer a charming, witty dialogue between the reed instruments, characteristic of the 20th-century French woodwind tradition.