The Etesian Ensemble will not sound like the average wind and piano ensemble that many audiences are accustomed to hearing today. We play exclusively on either original or faithful copies of instruments from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These instruments both look and sound different from their 21st century counterparts.

The woodwind instruments are made out of softer woods than makers use today leading to a softer tone. The modern oboe uses over thirty keys whilst the classical oboe has only two and the clarinet and bassoon use five. Having less keys means the musician has to use “cross fingering” which gives a wider range of tone colours. The horn we use has no valves and the non-harmonic notes have to be created by altering the position of the right hand in the bell of the instrument. Our fortepiano is a more colourful and quieter version of the concert grand so often used today. It is smaller in range having only 5 ½ octaves and, unlike modern instruments, has no iron frame which adds to its mellow tone.

Though these instruments are regarded by some as either more difficult or less reliable than their modern equivalents we do not play them because of some masochistic bent! These instruments truly show what the composers envisaged. The blend of these instruments is seldom heard in modern ensembles, yet each solo line can be brought out with a beauty specific to each instrument.