Boston Symphony Chamber Players

This afternoon my wife and I went to an afternoon concert by the Boston Symphony Chamber Players at Jordan Hall. This was the last of a four-concert subscription series of chamber music, and the program was devoted to modern works. I had anticipated hearing the kind of modern music that is more noise than music, something like Elliot Carter’s Horn Concerto that my niece and I went to last November on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. James Sommerville, as always, played beautifully that night, but I didn’t like the music.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by today’s program, which was four listenable and beautifully played works, all written by composers closely associated with the Boston Symphony.

The first piece was Irving Fine’s Partita for Wind Quintet, which was composed in 1948 for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn. According to the program, this is a popular work, and I agree because I really enjoyed it.

The second piece was Lukas Foss’s For Aaron, written in tribute of Aaron Copland. The instruments included violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, and percussion. This work is richly melodic and almost sentimental in flavor.

After the intermission, we heard a new piece by Osvaldo Golijov, Zhuang Zhou’s Dream, written for two violins, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, harp, and celesta. This quiet work was very relaxing.

Finally, we heard Plain Song, Fantastic Dances by Michael Gandolfi. This work was written for violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, and horn. I enjoyed this piece greatly, too; it had a dynamic ending. Michael Gandolfi was seated in the audience and came up to the stage to take bows with the players.

The only work of the four that seems to be available as a recording is Fine’s Partita for Wind Quintet, which I have ordered. It’s a shame the other works aren’t available because I would like to hear them all again. However, this concert introduced me to four composers I wasn’t familiar with, and I will explore their other works.

May 11 2008 | Music | Comments Off