The College was delighted to welcome back the Crosswinds ensemble on Thursday, 1 December, following their very popular previous woodwind concerts, in the beautiful surroundings of the Pusey House Chapel, thanks to Pusey House colleagues. The concert was the ever-growing brainchild of one of the Crosswinds, Dr Nick Jones, who is a Junior Research Fellow at St Cross and organised by Dr Jo Ashbourn, Senior Tutor (Academic Affairs & Programmes).
The audience of over 100 attendees enjoyed hearing the Crosswinds, featuring two special guest artists on the cello and double bass, play a lively one-hour programme of music to celebrate the end of term. The programme featured pieces with dance movements and had particularly entertaining swing and jazz arrangements of music from the Nutcracker, played on two bassoons and a cello. A new arrangement of Ravel's Five O'Clock Foxtrot for all the ensemble players present rounded off the evening with a ragtime flourish.
The full programme is below:
Serenade in D minor - Antonín Dvořák
Moderato, quasi marcia
Minuetto - Tempo di minuetto
Andante con moto
Finale - Allegro molto
Dance Suite - Norman Hallam
Waltz
Bossa Nova
Quickstep
Charleston
Polonaise in E♭ B.100 - Antonín Dvořák (arranged by R. Denwood)
The Nutcracker Suite - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (arranged by D. Stubbs)
Sugar Plum Swing Out
Dance of the Knock Kneed Fairy
Five O'Clock Foxtrot - Maurice Ravel (arranged M. Powell Davies)
The Crosswinds are Oxford-based and started life as a woodwind quintet, but quickly expanded
to a nonet in order to take on rarely performed works for larger ensembles. The players have
featured in musical groups in Oxfordshire, in Bristol and in Kent.
