Stefan Diaconu, V Coloris’ flutist, is a skilled arranger and music notation writer. Recently, he has been responsible for a new edition of George Enescu’s three symphonies commissioned by the Orchestre national de France and their chief conductor Cristian Macelaru, who is recording the three symphonies for an upcoming album.

In V Coloris, we greatly appreciate Stefan’s abilities, which he extensively utilizes in his arrangements of folk music-inspired classical works. What began with arrangements of a few piano pieces by Béla Bartók and Carl Nielsen has now become a fairly extensive collection of transcriptions for wind quintet, featuring catchy and folk music-inspired shorter classical pieces from various composers and eras. Folk music is a universal form of music that has inspired many throughout history and is often sought after during times of crisis. Folk music survives the worst imaginable events and significant, brutal upheavals. It has a unique way of evoking emotions in us and instills reflection, community, hope, and celebration!

The growing collection of Stefan’s arrangements has been compiled under the name “V Coloris Real Book – Transcriptions for Wind Quintet of Classical Pieces,” drawing inspiration from the jazz bible, “The Real Book.” The collection can be acquired as a whole, including the set of instrumental parts and the score for all arrangements. Alternatively, one can order materials for specific arrangements of their choice. In either case, a purchase request should be sent to v.coloris.quintet@gmail.com. We are working on establishing an online shop on our website where arrangements and merchandise can be purchased.

This collection, rightfully considered our unique V Coloris signature repertoire, is showcased with examples at the majority of our concerts. Currently, it consists of the following works:

Béla Bartók (1881-1945): Six Romanian Folk Dances for piano, Sz. 56 (1915)

Carl Nielsen (1865-1931): Five Piano Pieces, Op. 3 (1887-1891)

Carl Nielsen (1865-1931): Six Humoresque-Bagatelles, Op. 11 (1897)

Ciprian Porumbescu (1853-1883): Ballade for violin and piano, Op. 29 (1880)

Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996): Romanian Suite for piano, Op. 12a (1937)

Rued Langgaard (1893-1952): Summer Holiday in Blekinge for piano (1916)

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907): Selection of Lyric Pieces (1867-1901)

Sabin Pautza: Games II for wind quintet, dedicated to and commissioned by V Coloris (2021), revised by Stefan Diaconu (2022).

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Hungarian Melody in B minor, D. 817 (1824)