Naumburg (No. 3 of 5) (7/14/15)

Boston Symphony Chamber Players

Quartet in F for oboe, violin, viola, and cello, K.370 (1781) – I. Allegro,
II. Adagio, III Rondeau. Allegro – W. A. Mozart (1756–1791)
John Ferrillo, oboe; Malcolm Lowe, violin; Steven Ansell, viola; Jules Eskin, cello

Quintet for Winds, Op. 43 (1922) – Allegro ben moderato, II. Menuet,
III. Praeludium (Adagio)—Tema con variazioni – Carl Nielsen (1865–1931)
Elizabeth Rowe, flute; Ferrillo, oboe; William R. Hudgins, clarinet; Richard Svoboda, bassoon; James Sommerville, horn

Serenade No. 1 in D, Op. 11 (1857–58), arranged for chamber ensemble by
Alan Boustead – I. Allegro molto, II. Scherzo: Allegro non troppo; Trio: Poco piú mosso, III. Adagio non troppo, IV. Menuetto I; Menuetto II, V. Scherzo: Allegro,
VI. Rondo: Allegro – Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Rowe, flute; Hudgins, clarinet; Michael Wayne, clarinet; Svoboda, bassoon; Sommerville, horn; Lowe, violin; Ansell, viola; Eskin, cello; Edwin Barker, double bass

First things first, there was no rain! Tuesday evening also saw the debut of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players at the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. In general, the balance and mixing of the amplified sound was good—a bumpy start but it smoothed out quickly enough. Unfortunately, there was some static, or other white noise, during the Brahms Serenade that marred the sound a little bit. And that’s it for any quibbling.

The Mozart started out jaunty, in a reserved way; it sounded exactly like the evening, pleasant and enjoyable. After some retuning (hey, no rain but still plenty of humidity), the second movement started in a slower tempo with the three string players as a sort of background chorus for the oboe, although there was a feeling of more equality as the movement progressed. The third movement was in a bright tempo and allowed more of a chance for the oboe to shine. There was enough of a distinct character to the entire work to make it enjoyable for me (I'm not a huge Mozart fan).

Nielsen’s Quintet, described in the program notes as a serenade, had a slightly airy quality at the beginning, with some added oomph from the horn. At times it perked along, with more modern sounding harmonies, yet still was easy to listen to. The second movement opened with a clarinet/flute duet, eventually joined by the horn. A flute/oboe duet with horn added followed, leading to the full quintet bouncing some nice tunes back and forth. The Praeludium followed—a slow staid opening with deeper modern harmonies, and then a chorale-like section laying out the theme. The variations, in a slightly segmented way, were just that—varied in tempo, dynamics, intensity, and more modern harmonies—ending with a return to the chorale. I liked it a lot.

The overall feeling of the Brahms was a hint of Scottish flavor. Originally scored as a nonet, Brahms later reworked it for orchestra. This arrangement was a return to a nonet. The first movement had a bit of a folk dance flavor, and the nonet had enough heft to seem like a small orchestra. As a side note, it was lovely to hear a serenade in an outdoor setting while watching fireflies flitting by. The second movement was darker in tone but still pretty, while the third had a quiet opening that was gentle, even as more instruments joined in. The two menuets did not seem all that distinct to me; the scherzo that followed was much fuller. The rondo at the end was not quite a romp but it did end the piece, and the concert, with a nice flourish. I had a wonderful evening, especially as my umbrella was not involved! Kudos to the Boston Symphony Chamber Players for providing such a treat—and thanks, as always, to the Naumburg organization.

ConcertMeister