Concert Band

Pentangle

for Brass Quintet and Concert Band

Grade 5 | 13 Mins

Pentangle was commissioned by the Savannah Wind Symphony (Mark B. Johnson, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor) who gave the first performance in the Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University on 12th November 2019. The commission was made possible through a generous grant from the Savannah Orchestral Music Fund.

Set in three movements, which play without a break, Pentangle uses the traditional concept of the baroque concerto grosso as its model, treating the brass quintet and accompanying concert band as separate but equal ensembles. Interplay between the two, and frequent use of the quintet players as soloists, permeate the work in various combinations.

The first movement has the character of a fanfare, especially in the opening passages for the quintet. Its players each feature in short solos and duets as well as passages for the quintet as a whole.

The slow movement opens with reflective solo passages for clarinet and bassoon before the quintet takes centre stage with individual solo entries leading to an unaccompanied chorale. After a climax for the band the movement ends with cadenzas for the soloists, individually and collectively.

The finale is a whirlwind scherzo, with themes alternating between quintet and band. A central legato section briefly changes the mood before a brilliant coda brings the work to a close.