Norwegian composer Arild Plau (1920-2005) studied the piano at the Oslo Conservatory of Music but, after he had made some progress towards a successful career as a concert pianist, the Second World War broke out; he was imprisoned for eighteen months, and this put an end to his performing career. Instead, he earned a living as a piano teacher at the Conservatory, and at the same time devoted himself to studies of composition and the bassoon. In 1947 he became solo bassoonist of the Norwegian Opera, and he was a founder member of the Oslo Wind Quintet. As a composer he has principally written chamber music in the form of string quartets and brass quintets. His compositional style is characterized by a quest for what is simple and honest, and a desire to allow the interpreter a large amount of interpretative freedom.