CONTRASTS

HAYDN: DIVERTIMENTO IN B-FLAT; DANZI: QUINTET, OPUS 51, NO. 1; SHORT PIECES BY EUGENE BOZZA, IBERT AND VILLA-LOBOS. Ensemble Wien-Berlin (Columbia 39558). These five wind players from the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics and the Vienna Symphony present a starkly contrasting program: Two modest works (in the same key) from the 18th Century are backed by three refreshing, rarely heard pieces from the 1930s and ‘40s. The playing is flawless throughout, but special praise is due the group’s reading of Villa-Lobos’ intriguing Quintet (1928). The digitally recorded sound is so transparent that every clicked key is audible.