The quality of the Burleske for wind quintet by the now 70-year-old Bertold Hummel lies in the high level of craftsmanship and the effective design of the entertaining movement based on a tonal language orientated towards tradition. Within the rondo-like conception there is a varied play of motifs with fourths and tritones. Contrapuntal thinking determines the musical progression over long stretches. On the other hand, Hummel also allows the homophonic tutti sound to have an effect. He achieves striking sound effects with the trill sections that intensify into a tutti and also open the Burleske. The wind quintet movement, played in presto tempo (half note = 152), in which the individuality of the individual instruments is somewhat overshadowed, is just the right length for an encore; however, it is also suitable as a competition piece for a young wind quintet, which can demonstrate perfection in ensemble playing despite not having to fulfil very high technical demands.

Heribert Haase

... including a "Burleske", written at the suggestion of Gottfried Langenstein and intended as an encore piece for wind quintet (...) A "typical Hummel", one would like to state, in a humorous tonal language which, in its freshness of thought in the alternation between slower and moving "building blocks" and a wealth of musical ideas, summarised in a small space, so to speak, allows the five instruments to play their part in turn and on an equal footing.

Hans Behr