Zefiro’s brilliant tribute to a little-known but important side of Beethoven’s output.

Ludwig van Beethoven's composition of his Parthia dans un concert, or wind Octet, op.103, is the earliest piece he wrote for winds. The remarkable Rondino for the same instruments, using the recently-invented mutes for the horns, might have been part of the same Parthia in an earlier version. Once in Vienna, he wrote for the extended and virtuosic Terzetto, op.87, in 1794 and the Variations on Mozart's Don Giovanni in 1796 for 2 oboes and coranglais. Also from 1796, a quintet with the unusual scoring of one oboe, three horns and bassoon survives incomplete. Lastly, his military music for winds here includes also trumpets, contrabassoon and a rich variety of drum instruments such as a bass drum, side drum, triangle, cymbals and Turkish crescent.