Born on 27 January 1928, Jean-Michel Damase composes in a style often compared to Gabriel Fauré, Francis Poulenc, Maurice Ravel, Serge Prokofiev, Albert Roussel, and Stravinsky; incorporating many of the rhythmic and harmonic complexities associated with twentieth-century French music.

Composed in  1952, this woodwind quintet embodies French charm itself. Playful, inventive and unfailingly melodic, it wears its harmonic complexities lightly and with considerable style