The Wind Quintet was a project Malcolm Spence undertook whilst engaging in the only formal instruction in composition he ever received at Morley College in London under Melanie Dakin; it was the work he was most proud of. For most of his short life, Malcolm was an enthusiastic French horn player who had always indulged in composition. The wind quintet was an ensemble he particularly enjoyed but for which the repertoire is limited; there being relatively few “purpose-built works. This is no dry technical exercise from a workshop but a hugely varied and crafted suite: a serious yet accessible work. The content is completely original, undeniably English in influence and, to those who knew him, unmistakably his own voice.

The piece opens with a bold march-like statement. The ideas and themes are then developed and explored before the mood changes and an achingly lyrical middle section takes off, recalling English folk melody. Eventually the irrepressible march resumes to close the first movement on a cheerful note. The second movement is a calmer, altogether more reflective piece. The tune writing is exquisite, intensely lyrical and emotional with carefully chosen harmony and voicing to set it off as it draws to a thoughtful close. The mood changes again with the third movement which is an infectiously playful work in 6/8. The oboe introduces another catchy original tune and so self-confident it is, you barely notice some of the outrageous modulations through which it passes. The movement concludes with a cheeky and swaggering jazz ending. In the last movement, the contrast is absolute. After an enigmatic start, the tempo slowly builds until the clarinet launches into the main theme, driving angular, based on a whole tone scale and in 7/8 to boot. This is challenging modern music. The instruments launch off each other as the movement continues, sometimes singly, sometimes in canon, sometimes in dissonant pairs until the piece hurtles to its unison conclusion. By this time, the easy lyricism and harmony of the first three movements seems a distant memory.