Guillaume Bellom and Ensemble Astera perform Mozart, Caplet, and Poulenc

Join the celebrated Ensemble Astera and pianist Guillaume Bellom for a vibrant and varied program at the 2026 Festival Singer-Polignac, spanning more than a century of musical innovation. Described by Mozart as “the best work I have ever written,” his Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat Major is scored for the distinctive combination of piano, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon. The masterpiece was first performed in 1784 with Mozart himself at the piano, allowing each instrument to shine while creating a seamless musical dialogue. Composed while André Caplet was still a student at the Paris Conservatory, his Quintet for Piano and Winds blends the warmth of late Romanticism with the shimmering colors of early French Impressionism. Its swirling melodies and rich chromaticiism create an ethereal sonic world. Poulenc’s Sextet for Piano and Winds provides the perfect conclusion to the concert: a sparkling work that serves as the composer’s “homage to the wind instruments I have loved from the moment I began composing.”