Woodwind Concert by the Crosswinds

The College was delighted to hold its first in-person musical event in nearly two years due to the pandemic on the evening of Friday 12th November 2021 in the beautiful surroundings of the Pusey House Chapel, thanks to Pusey House colleagues. The concert was the 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). An audience of over 70 attendees enjoyed hearing the Crosswinds ensemble play an hour of woodwind chamber music featuring Bach, Mozart and Gounod - the instruments played were a flute, two clarinets, two oboes, two horns and two bassoons, one contrabassoon being on loan from the Bate Collection in the Faculty of Music.

The Crosswinds played across the classical woodwind repertoire including pieces from two popular operas and solo pieces for the flute with the concluding piece being a vibrant finale played by the whole nonet.

The full programme is below:

Marsch der Priester (from The Magic Flute) - Mozart
Serenade in C minor KV 388 - Mozart
Allegro
Andante
Menuet and Trio
Allegro

Partita in A minor} BWV 1013 - Bach
Sarabande
Bourrée anglaise

Una voce poca fa (from The Barber of Seville) - Gioachino Rossini

Petite Symphonie} - Charles Gounod
Adagio-Allegro
Andante cantabile (quasi adagio) attacca
Scherzo. Allego moderato
Finale. Allegretto

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 (including the Oxford Sinfonia, the OUP Orchestra, the Banbury Symphony Orchestra and the Phoenix Winds), in Bristol (the Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra, the Bristol Concert Orchestra and the Resonance Orchestra) and in Kent (the Maidstone Orchestra and the Canterbury Orchestra).