The Wildflower Quintet, by Jenni Brandon, Performed by The Kalliope Reed Quintet In Arlington, Massachusetts

The Wildflower Quintet, by Jenni Brandon, performed by The Kalliope Reed Quintet at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Arlington, Massachusetts, on Friday, April 1, 2022, 7:30 pm EST. The concert address is 630 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476-5070, (781)-648-3799, Email: churchoffice@firstparish.info.

Kalliope Reed Quintet’s program is:

Wildflower Quintet — Jenni Brandon

This — Francine Trester

Transoceanica — Miguel del Aguila

Amaru — Daniel Cueto (features a gorgeous arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Chaconne from Partita II for Violin)

This concert is made possible with support from the Arlington, Massachusetts Council for Arts and Culture.

The Wildflower Quintet for Reed Quintet (Oboe/English horn, Clarinet, Soprano/Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon), is a re-imagining of Jenni’s work The Wildflower Trio (oboe, bassoon, piano). It was commissioned in 2004 by the College of Fine Arts of the University of Texas at Austin to honor and celebrate the life and environmental work of Lady Bird Johnson. The Reed Quintet version was commissioned by Kalliope Reed Quintet. The inspiration for the piece came from a poetry book written by one of Mrs. Johnson’s friends, Bette Woolsey Castro. Her book, The Wildflower, was inspired by the opening of Lady Bird’s Wildflower Research Center in Austin, Texas, and contains a collection of poems about wildflowers and nature.

The five movements of The Wildflower Quintet for Reed Quintet (Oboe/English horn, Clarinet, Soprano/Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon) are based on the imagery from several poems by Bette Woolsey Castro.

  1. Wildflowers
  2. Wild Rose and Butterfly
  3. The Hummingbird
  4. Indian Paintbrush
  5. Summer Garden

In this newly re-imagined version for Reed Quintet that was commissioned, recorded, and premiered by the Kalliope Quintet, the colors of the quintet add additional voices to the many wildflowers in Texas and across the United States. These instruments help to paint a broad picture of colors, shapes, and majesty of the flowers, and continue to honor the legacy and work of Mrs. Johnson.