Graham Mayger (flute) won a Foundation Scholarship to the Royal College of Music, then a French Government Scholarship to study in Paris with Jean Pierre Rampal. Returning to London, he then played with most of the major London orchestras, and for 27 years enjoyed a special relationship with the Northern Sinfonia. He now holds principal flute positions with many freelance orchestras and is a member of the London Harpsichord Ensemble.
He has broadcast as a soloist in many recitals and concertos, including a concerto performance at the Promenade concerts. His recordings for Unicorn of Vivaldi chamber concertos, including the ‘Goldfinch’ have been very highly praised.
He was appointed to the staff of the Royal College of Music at the age of 24; becoming the youngest professor ever to be appointed. Several of his past students now hold important orchestral positions in this country and abroad. He is also professor of the flute at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall.

Gwenllian Davies (oboe) was born in Pembrokeshire 1974. Her graduate studies took place at Jesus College, Oxford University, BA Hons Music, 1st Class (1993–1996). Her postgraduate studies were completed at the Royal Academy of Music, Advanced Postgraduate Diploma and LRAM (1996–1997) and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Postgraduate Diploma of Orchestral Training and LGSMD (1997–1998).

She is a member of the Aurora Wind Ensemble and has performed at many major British venues, including Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, St David's Hall, Cardiff, Purcell Room, Cheltenham International Festival, St Martin's in the Field and the National Gallery.

James Mainwaring (clarinet) was born in Morriston and is the member of a musical family with two brothers who play trumpet and viola. He started the clarinet at the age of nine and went on to study clarinet and saxophone at the Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music, with Angela Malsbury, Andrew Marriner and Richard Addison.
James has worked a great deal on the Continent and lived for three years in Hamburg, during which time he played with the Hamburg Mozart Orchestra.
Since his return to the United Kingdom he has pursued a busy and varied career, working with orchestras and chamber ensembles and touring West End shows.

Simon Stewart (saxophone) studied saxophone and clarinet at the Royal College of Music, London and was awarded an Exhibitioners Scholarship to study saxophone with Steve Trier and Kyle Horch and clarinet with Colin Bradbury.

As a teacher Simon enjoys a busy schedule teaching at the Purcell School and Highgate School where he teaches saxophone and coaches the Big Band and saxophone ensembles.

Antonia Bakewell (double bass) read history at University College, London, then studied as a post-graduate at the Royal College of Music.

As a freelance musician based in London she works with a wide range of orchestras including the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, London Philharmonic and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

1. Midwinter Spring
2. Opening Buds
3. Spring Midwinter

The work began as the first movement alone, written immediately the composer returned from a 16-year stay in the United States. This, a piece for wind quartet, without flute, was first performed at a MidNag workshop in Ashington, Northumberland, UK, in January, 1984, by members of the Northern Sinfonia.  It was revised, and two other movements added, over 20 years later. The theme of the work is ‘return’, as described by T. S. Eliot in Little Gidding:  ‘ …the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time’. The title of the first movement, Midwinter Spring, is also taken from this poem, and refers to the hawthorn blossom which appears, snow-like, in early May: hence the title Primavera (Spring).  The last movement serves as a distant view of the first, with much recalled material (another reference to Eliot’s lines) while the second stands in considerable and lively contrast.  Its title, Opening Buds, is taken from a Purcell song which also refers to the uniting of the seasons (‘where op’ning buds drive falling fruits away’.)  A musical motif of 13 notes, which is heard, fragmented, at the opening on the horn haunts much of the musical argument later on.

Composer’s note

The septet is in the form of continuous variations on two motifs: the first is heard on the oboe at the outset; the second, marked lamentoso, appears a few bars later (the saxophone’s first entry). The music journeys through songs, processionals, marches, pastorales, scherzos, chorale melodies, peals of bells and fanfares. It ends with the return of the speech/song-like music of the opening.

Composer’s note

As was the case with his older contemporary, Joachim Raff, this did not lead to a complete espousal of music drama and tone poem. Klughart wrote six symphonies and a quantity of chamber music including two string quartets, works for string quintet and sextet, a piano quintet, and this four movement wind quintet in C – one of the few examples of his work to remain in the repertoire.

Wind Quintet in B-flat major, Op.56 No.1

1. Allegretto  2. Andante con moto  3. Minuet & Trio  4. Allegro

In 1778, at the age of 15, Franz Danzi was a cellist in the famous Mannheim Orchestra before joining the Munich orchestra in 1783, by which time he had composed three operas. In 1807 he was appointed Kapellmeister in Stuttgart where he met Weber, whose music he later championed.

Danzi wrote some eighteen stage works, usually a mixture of music and spoken dialogue called singspiel. He also wrote songs, grand opera, sacred and secular choral music, masses, oratorios and cantatas and a great deal of orchestral music, much of it concerti. His chamber music includes trios, quartets, quintets, and sextets for a variety of instruments and combinations of instruments.

Danzi was the first composer to write extensively for Wind Quintet, often writing in a deceptively simple way while making virtuoso demands on the performers.