Jacques Casterede was one of many composers who refused to abandon tonality and traditional forms amid the stormy avant-garde of the 20th century. The Quintette for winds was written in 1953, the same year that Casterede won the Prix de Rome, and touches of Gershwin appear among its witty colors. Neo-Classical restraint in the Sonate en forme de Suite contrasts with the grittier and more modernist Musique for flute, harp and string trio, and La Belle Epoque takes us on a whistle-stop tour of Classical repertoire, parodying famous tunes by Haydn and Mozart.
