REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts, "Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble"

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA

www.southmountainconcerts.org/concerts.html

October 6, 2024

by Michael J. Moran

Perfect weather for Berkshire leaf-peeping cast a warm autumnal glow on a packed house at the final program in the 2024 season of this 106-year-old early fall chamber music series founded by renowned music patroness Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. But the music on the program featured all three of its composers in the springtime of their careers.

Tomo Keller

The performers, eight principal players of the London-based St. Martin in the Fields orchestra, led by their first violinist, Tomo Keller, debuted at South Mountain in 2019, and this was their first return engagement. They opened today’s concert with the “Two Pieces for String Octet,” which eighteen-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich wrote in 1924-25. The four violinists, two violists, and two cellists of the Academy Ensemble stressed the experimental modernism of the young Russian composer still finding his voice in a brooding “Prelude” and restless “Scherzo.” 

Next came a glowing account by six players of the “Sextet in A, for Two Violins, Two Violas, Two Cellos. Op. 48,” which then 36-year-old Czech composer Antonin Dvorak wrote during his early maturity in 1878. Its relaxed spirit may reflect Dvorak’s growing confidence after he had just received a government grant recommended by his fellow composer Johannes Brahms. An ardent “Allegro moderato” was followed by a melancholy “Dumka” (a Slavic elegy) and a headlong “Furiant” (a fast Bohemian dance), both forms that Dvorak used often in later works, and a sweeping “Theme and Variations” finale that builds from a modest folk-inspired tune to a powerful conclusion.    

The full ensemble regrouped to end the concert with a thrilling rendition of the “Octet in E-flat, Op. 20,” written in 1825 by sixteen-year-old German child prodigy Felix Mendelssohn. The piece’s formal balance and melodic invention have made it not only Mendelssohn’s own chamber masterpiece but one of the most popular works of chamber music by any composer. The Academy musicians presented a vigorous and flowing “Allegro moderato ma con fuoco,” a meltingly tender “Andante,” a fleet and gossamer “Scherzo: Allegro leggierissimo” (played exactly as marked: “as lightly as possible”), and a joyous closing “Presto.” A more festive way to finish a season would be hard to imagine.    

Tickets for the September-October 2025 South Mountain Concerts season go on sale next May.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts "Wu Han & Friends"

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA

www.southmountainconcerts.org/concerts.html

September 8, 2024

by Michael J. Moran

David Finckel & Wu Han

Pianist Wu Han, Co-Artistic Director (with her husband, cellist David Finckel) of the NYC-based Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, was joined by Finckel, violinists Chad Hoopes and Richard Lin, and violist Matthew Lipman to open the 2024 season of this century-old festival with a program of three major works for varied instrumental ensembles with broad appeal to chamber music veterans and newcomers alike.

The concert began with a lively reading by Lin, Finckel, and Lipman of Beethoven’s 1799 String Trio in C minor, Op. 9, No. 3. The key of C minor always drew music of high drama from the composer (for example, his fifth symphony). A turbocharged “Allegro con spirito” was followed by a gentle, almost happy-go-lucky “Adagio con espressione.” Both the energetic “Scherzo” and the tempestuous “Presto” finale had abrupt, quiet endings, a playful touch.                

Next came an impassioned account by Wu Han, Hoopes, and Finckel of Czech composer Bedrich Smetana’s Piano Trio No. 1 in G minor, Op. 15. Written in 1858 in memory of his young daughter Bedriska, its “Moderato assai” first movement opened with a seven-measure violin solo, played with piercing intensity by Hoopes. Wu Han’s sensitive pianism and Finckel’s rich cello tone were equally affecting in the expressive middle movement, “Allegro…Maestoso,” and a defiant closing “Presto” which includes a brief funeral march.

The program ended on a more upbeat note with a joyous performance by the full ensemble of Robert Schumann’s most popular chamber piece, his 1842 Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44. It featured an exuberant “Allegro brillante,” an alternately somber and brisk second movement, marked “In the Style of a March,” a virtuosically nimble “Scherzo,” and a jubilant “Allegro, ma non troppo” finale.    

The frequent choice by Wu Han and Finckel to perform with musicians several decades younger, creates a cross-generational spark in their music-making that clearly resonated with today’s enthusiastic audience.

This venerable series of chamber music concerts performed by world-class ensembles continues on Sundays through October 6.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts, "Dover String Quartet"

South Mountain Concert Hall, Pittsfield, MA

www.southmountainconcerts.org/concerts.html

October 15, 2023

by Michael J. Moran

Formed at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music in 2008, ensemble-in-residence there since 2020, and named after “Dover Beach,” a 1931 song by Curtis graduate Samuel Barber, the Dover String Quartet – violinists Joel Link and Bryan Lee; violist Julianne Lee, a member only since last month; and cellist Camden Shaw – brought a diverse selection of quartets from three centuries to an appreciative South Mountain audience.

Technical cohesion and interpretive maturity, even at their start as a foursome, was immediately evident in Franz Joseph Haydn’s 1793 Quartet in G Minor, Op. 74/3. The taut, galloping rhythms of both the opening “Allegro” movement and the “Allegro con brio” finale fully embraced the work’s nickname, the “Rider” quartet. The middle movements – a heartfelt slow “Largo assai” and a gently flowing “Menuetto: Allegretto” – were played with equal conviction.

Introducing Florence Price’s Quartet No. 1 in G Major, Shaw noted that like much of the pioneering African-American composer’s instrumental music, it was rediscovered only in 2009, over fifty years after her death, in the attic of her former home near Chicago. Likely written in the 1920s, its two surviving movements – a graceful “Allegro” and a folk-flavored “Andante Moderato-Allegretto” – were giving sumptuous, affectionate treatment by this ensemble.

The program – and the 2023 South Mountain season - closed with a dramatic reading of Franz Schubert’s 1824 Quartet No. 14 in D Minor. Its nickname, “Death and the Maiden,” derives from the composer’s 1817 song of that title, quoted in the second movement, which may reflect a premonition of his death four years later at the age of only thirty-one. The Dovers heightened this mood with a tumultuous “Allegro,” a haunting “Andante con moto,” including five starkly delineated variations on the song’s opening melody, a demonic “Scherzo. Allegro molto-Trio,” and a frenzied closing “Presto.”

“It’s about being part of something larger than yourself while not losing your individuality. It’s completely personal but also greater than you. It’s the ultimate form of making music.” This comment about chamber music by Dover first violinist Joel Link in a recent interview may help explain not only the many critical accolades that his ensemble has received but the enduring success of this century-old chamber music festival held in Pittsfield every September and October.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts, "Dover String Quartet"

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA 

www.southmountainconcerts.org

October 15, 2023 

by Michael J. Moran 

Formed at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music in 2008, ensemble-in-residence there since 2020, and named after “Dover Beach,” a 1931 song by Curtis graduate Samuel Barber, the Dover String Quartet – violinists Joel Link and Bryan Lee; violist Julianne Lee, a member only since last month; and cellist Camden Shaw – brought a diverse selection of quartets from three centuries to an appreciative South Mountain audience. 

Technical cohesion and interpretive maturity, even at their start as a foursome, was immediately evident in Franz Joseph Haydn’s 1793 Quartet in G Minor, Op. 74/3. The taut, galloping rhythms of both the opening “Allegro” movement and the “Allegro con brio” finale fully embraced the work’s nickname, the “Rider” quartet. The middle movements – a heartfelt slow “Largo assai” and a gently flowing “Menuetto: Allegretto” – were played with equal conviction. 

Introducing Florence Price’s Quartet No. 1 in G Major, Shaw noted that like much of the pioneering African-American composer’s instrumental music, it was rediscovered only in 2009, over fifty years after her death, in the attic of her former home near Chicago. Likely written in the 1920s, its two surviving movements – a graceful “Allegro” and a folk-flavored “Andante Moderato-Allegretto” – were giving sumptuous, affectionate treatment by this ensemble. 

The program – and the 2023 South Mountain season - closed with a dramatic reading of Franz Schubert’s 1824 Quartet No. 14 in D Minor. Its nickname, “Death and the Maiden,” derives from the composer’s 1817 song of that title, quoted in the second movement, which may reflect a premonition of his death four years later at the age of only thirty-one. The Dovers heightened this mood with a tumultuous “Allegro,” a haunting “Andante con moto,” including five starkly delineated variations on the song’s opening melody, a demonic “Scherzo. Allegro molto-Trio,” and a frenzied closing “Presto.” 

“It’s about being part of something larger than yourself while not losing your individuality. It’s completely personal but also greater than you. It’s the ultimate form of making music.” This comment about chamber music by Dover first violinist Joel Link in a recent interview may help explain not only the many critical accolades that his ensemble has received but the enduring success of this century-old chamber music festival held in Pittsfield every September and October.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concert, "Wu Han & Friends"

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA 

www.southmountainconcerts.org/concerts.html 

October 8, 2023 

by Michael J. Moran 

Taiwanese-American pianist Wu Han, Co-Artistic Director (with her husband, cellist David Finckel) of the NYC-based Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, was accompanied by Finckel, violinist Paul Huang, and violist Paul Neubauer for a varied program of three Romantic works in a concert dedicated to pianist Menahem Pressler (1923-2023), who appeared here over 50 times. 

Wu Han photo by LisaMarie Mazzucco

The program opened with an ebullient account of Beethoven’s eighth sonata for violin and piano. Though written when he was first becoming aware of his growing deafness in 1802, the music is among the composer’s sunniest pieces. Huang’s silken violin and Wu Han’s dynamic pianism yielded a joyful and vigorous “Allegro assai,” a gently ruminative “Tempo di Minuetto,” and a jubilant closing “Allegro vivace.”       

Next came a glowing performance by Huang, Wu Han, and Finckel (who is also the founding cellist of the Emerson String Quartet, heard here last month) of the seldom played first piano trio by Saint-Saens, written in 1864, when the precocious French master was approaching artistic maturity in his late 20s. A rustic “Allegro vivace,” a solemn “Andante,” a folklike “Scherzo. Presto,” and a glittering “Allegro” finale featured nimble technique by Huang, cascading finger work from Wu Han, and rich-toned expressiveness by Finckel. 

Neubauer’s viola added a dark and opulent color to the mellow sound of his three colleagues when he joined them to close the program with a brilliant reading of the second piano quartet by Brahms. Written simultaneously in 1861 with the more popular first piano quartet, the second is longer (45-50 minutes) and less showy than its sibling, but just as full of melodic invention. A spacious “Allegro non troppo,” a ravishing “Poco adagio,” a relaxed “Scherzo-Trio,” and a rhythmic, Hungarian-flavored “Finale. Allegro” all made for compelling listening. 

Pairing the 33-year-old Huang with three seasoned veterans several decades older brought an intergenerational spark to the afternoon’s music-making, with Huang’s youthful energy enriching the long experience of his seniors and the passion for teaching and mentoring younger musicians that all three have practiced throughout their careers. 

This venerable Sunday afternoon concert series of chamber music performed by world-class ensembles concludes its 2023 season on October 15 with a concert by the Dover String Quartet.

 

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts, "Emerson String Quartet"

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA 

www.southmountainconcerts.org

September 10, 2023 

by Michael J. Moran 

Despite the threat of severe thunderstorms (which stayed away), a sold-out house greeted this beloved ensemble – violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violist Lawrence Dutton, and cellist Paul Watkins - at their 35th and final appearance here before they retire next month after a distinguished 47-year career. All are founding members except Watkins, who succeeded founding cellist David Finckel in 2013. 

The program opened with Mozart’s 10th quartet, in D minor, K. 421. The Emersons’ gentle take on this work of early maturity, dating from 1783, featured a genial “Allegro moderato,” a warm “Andante,” an urgent “Menuetto,” a playful “Allegretto,” and a captivating “Allegro ma non troppo-Piu allegro” finale, with four sharply characterized variations on a dancelike theme. 

Emotions were more heated in Mendelssohn’s 2nd quartet, in A minor, Op. 13. Written in 1827, it reflects the influence of Beethoven’s recent late quartets on the 18-year-old composer. The Emersons offered a turbulent “Adagio-Allegro vivace,” an intense “Adagio non lento,” a fleet “Intermezzo: Allegretto con moto-Allegro di molto,” with a light-as-a-feather mid-section, and a dramatic “Presto” finale, with a quietly moving “Adagio non lento” close. 

Next came the last of many commissions by the Emersons of new pieces from contemporary composers, Sarah Kirkland Snider’s 2023 quartet “Drink the Wild Ayre.” The title mixes a quote by their namesake, philosopher/poet Ralph Waldo Emerson (“Drink the wild air’s salubrity”) with the lyrical nature of a musical “ayre.” The quartet’s committed performance of the Princeton, NJ native’s colorful one-movement work exuded all the carefree, outdoorsy exuberance she could have wanted. 

A masterful account of Ravel’s popular 1903 quartet in F Major closed the program, including a mellow “Allegro moderato-tres doux,” an alternately high-spirited and mysterious “Assez vif-tres rhythme,” a radiant “Tres lent,” and a buoyant closing “Vif et agite.” The Emersons’ technical precision and interpretive depth remained as flawless as ever all afternoon.   

Introducing their heartfelt encore – a string quartet transcription of Bach’s last chorale – Drucker expressed the group’s hope that it would “transport us to a special place.” In return, the enthusiastic audience seemed to echo Snider’s wish: “Here’s to the singular magic of these artistic giants, and the new adventures that await them.” 

This century-old Sunday afternoon concert series of chamber music performed by world-class musicians continues through October 15, with upcoming performances by the Juilliard and Dover String Quartets.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts, "Calidore String Quartet"

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA 

www.southmountainconcerts.org/concerts.html

September 11, 2022 

by Michael J. Moran 

Changeable Berkshire weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of the enthusiastic audience that welcomed the Calidore String Quartet – violinists Jeffrey Myers and Ryan Meehan, violist Jeremy Berry, and cellist Estelle Choi – to their triumphant fourth appearance at this storied venue. Formed in 2010 at the Colburn School in Los Angeles and named after the “golden state” of their roots (“dore” is French for “golden”), the ensemble has since won worldwide acclaim. 

Their program began with Mozart’s 17th quartet, in B-flat Major, K. 458. Written in 1784 as the fourth of six quartets that Mozart dedicated to Haydn, it was nicknamed “The Hunt” because its fanfare-like start reminded early listeners of a hunting call. The Calidore’s lively account featured an energetic opening “Allegro vivace assai,” a stately “Menuetto: Moderato,” a ravishing “Adagio,” and a thrilling “Allegro assai” finale. 

In a spoken introduction to Bartok’s 1909 first string quartet, Meehan described it as the
composer “finding his voice,” from the early influence of Richard Strauss to his mature mix of modernism with the folk music of his native Hungary. The foursome played this technically demanding score with awesome intensity, capturing the mournful angst of the opening “Lento” movement (which Bartok called a “funeral dirge” for his unrequited love of Hungarian violinist Stefi Geyer), the more playful mood of the following “Allegretto,” and the fast and furious humor of the folk-flavored closing “Allegro vivace.” 

These high spirits continued in the program’s closing work, the 1876 third string quartet by Brahms, who cheerfully called it a “useless trifle,” especially when compared to his contemporaneous first symphony. In the same B-flat Major key as Mozart’s “Hunt” quartet, its opening “Vivace” movement also begins with a hunting call, which the Calidores played with exuberant gusto. This was followed by a somber “Andante,” a tender “Agitato (Allegretto non troppo),” with a lovely solo turn by violist Berry, and a kaleidoscopic final “Poco Allegretto con Variazione,” in which Brahms recalls themes from earlier movements with typically resourceful bravado.

South Mountain requires masking inside the concert hall. The venerable 2022 Sunday afternoon concert series of chamber music performed by world-class musicians runs through October 9, with upcoming performances by the Emerson and St. Lawrence String Quartets.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA 

www.southmountainconcerts.org/concerts.html 

October 10, 2021 

by Michael J. Moran 

Gilbert Kalish

When the previously scheduled Juilliard String Quartet cancelled due to illness, these friends of South Mountain came to the rescue on short notice with an inspired cross-generational ensemble pairing 86-year-old American master pianist Gilbert Kalish with four string players five and six decades younger in an imaginative program of four varied works from three centuries. 

It opened with a sprightly account of Mozart’s 1786 Trio in B-flat Major, K. 502, by Kalish, American violinist Stella Chen, and Chinese-born cellist Sihao He. Though reflecting the emphasis of its time on the piano as major partner, Kalish gave Chen and He plenty of room to shine in a lively opening “Allegro,” a graceful slow “Larghetto,” and a charming “Allegretto” finale. 

This was followed by Bohuslav Martinu’s Duo No. 1 (“Three Madrigals”), written in 1947 while the Czech-born composer was living in New York. Modeled on Renaissance-era madrigals (unaccompanied songs for multiple voices with elaborate harmonies), the piece was lovingly performed by Chen and Taiwan-born violist Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu. They were buoyant in the energetic first movement, enchanting in the mysterious second, and intense in the folk-flavored third. 

Next came Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen’s 1897 arrangement for violin and viola of the Passacaglia (variations on a repeating rhythm) from Handel’s 1717 seventh suite for solo harpsichord. Korean-born violinist Kristin Lee and Wu met the work’s technical challenges with stunning virtuosity and an infectious sense of fun. 

The concert ended with a dramatic rendition of Brahms’s 1864 piano quintet, featuring a turbulent opening “Allegro non troppo,” a warm and flowing “Andante, un poco Adagio,” a ferocious “Scherzo: Allegro” (with a tender central trio), and a shattering “Poco sostenuto – Allegro non troppo” finale. Of special note were the seemingly ageless Kalish’s muscular yet mellow pianism and He’s dark, resonant cello, though the whole ensemble was polished and committed throughout. 

Introducing this final concert of South Mountain’s 2021 season from the stage, Executive Director Lou R. Steiger thanked the audience for their support through this difficult year and invited them back for a hopefully “more hospitable” post-Covid 2022 season beginning next September.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts, Emerson String Quartet

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA 

www.southmountainconcerts.org 

September 19, 2021 

by Michael J. Moran 

Less than a month after they announced their retirement from public performance in 2023, the Emerson String Quartet  – violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violist Lawrence Dutton, and cellist Paul Watkins – made their35 th appearance at this venerable chamber music series. A memorable concert and rapturous audience response suggested that they’ll end their 47-year career in top form. 

The program opened with Mendelssohn’s first published string quartet, dating from 1829, when the precocious composer was a youthful but mature twenty years old. The Emerson’s tender but bracing account built from a lively “Adagio non troppo – Allegro non tardante” first movement, a gracious “Canzonetta: Allegretto” (including a delicately fleet mid-section), and a passionate “Andante espressivo,” to a fast and furious “Molto allegro e vivace” finale.

 

Next, in sharp contrast, came Bartok’s 1927 third string quartet. Reflecting both the influence of Hungarian folk music and the composer’s interest in avant-garde musical techniques, it still sounded strikingly modern in the Emerson’s tightly coiled performance. Their legendary seamless ensemble intact throughout, they brought laser clarity to the thorny first section, controlled energy to the manic second, haunting sensitivity to the eerie third, and intense focus to the frenzied closing “Coda.” 

The concert continued with Tchaikovsky’s popular 1871 first string quartet. From a gentle “Moderato e semplice” opening movement, a heartfelt “Andante cantabile” (famously arranged later by the composer for string orchestra – Drucker’s first violin solos were meltingly beautiful), and a mercurial “Scherzo,” to an exuberant folk-dance-flavored “Finale,” the Emersons played every note with exhilarating warmth. 

That quality was even clearer in the deep affection they brought to their encore (a rare occurrence at South Mountain), George Walker’s lovely 1946 “Lyric for Strings.” Setzer movingly recalled the Quartet’s happy working relationship with the noted African-American composer during the last twenty years of his life (Walker died in 2018 at age 96).

 

South Mountain requires proof of Covid vaccination and masking inside the hall. Chamber music lovers can still catch three more Sunday afternoon concerts here by world-class musicians (including former Emerson cellist David Finckel) through October 10.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts, Calidore String Quartet

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA 

www.southmountainconcerts.org/concerts 

September 12, 2021 

by Michael J. Moran 

A nearly full house warmly greeted the first live concert in this venerable series since October 2019 as the Calidore String Quartet – violinists Jeffrey Myers and Ryan Meehan, violist Jeremy Berry, and cellist Estelle Choi – took the stage at this storied venue. Formed in 2010 at the Colburn School in Los Angeles and named after the “golden state” of their origin (“dore” is French for “golden”), the ensemble has since earned rave reviews across the globe. 

The concert began with Mendelssohn’s second string quartet, written by the 18-year-old composer in 1827, partly in homage to the recently deceased Beethoven and his pathbreaking late quartets. The Calidore’s moving interpretation featured a grave opening “Adagio – Allegro vivace,” a passionate “Adagio non lento,” an elfin (and quintessentially “Mendelssohnian”) “Intermezzo: Allegretto con moto – Allegro di molto,” and a turbulent closing “Presto – Adagio non lento.” 

Next came a shattering account of Shostakovich’s powerful 1960 eighth string quartet, dedicated to the “memory of victims of fascism and war” while he was also writing a World War II film score in Dresden, Germany. Its five short movements (three of them marked “Largo,” or “Slow”) are played without pause and incorporate quotes from earlier Shostakovich works as well as the Russian revolutionary song “Languishing in Prison.” The dark colors of Berry’s viola and Choi’s cello were notably cogent and effective throughout.

A breif intermission was followed by a brilliant rendition of Beethoven’s mercurial 1825 fifteenth quartet, which helped inspire Mendelssohn’s second quartet in the same key - A minor. Its five expansive movements are built around the astonishing central and longest one, which Beethoven titled “Holy song of thanksgiving to the divinity by a convalescent.” The Calidore’s wrenching intensity here was overwhelming, but they were just as compelling in the surrounding four movements, from a bracing “Assai sostenuto- Allegro,” a gentle “Allegro ma non tanto,” and a stirring “Alla Marcia, assai vivace,” to a vigorous “Allegro appassionato” finale.

 

South Mountain requires proof of Covid vaccination and masking inside the concert hall. This essential 2021 Sunday afternoon concert series of chamber music performed by world-class musicians runs through October 10, 2021.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts, Emerson String Quartet

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA

www.southmountainconcerts.org

October 13, 2019

by Michael J. Moran

All the ingredients for chamber music heaven came together in this concert: arguably the finest string quartet now before the public; three cornerstones of the string quartet repertoire over three centuries; and ideal acoustics in a storied venue.

Formed in 1976 and named after American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, three of the quartet’s founders are still members: violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, who alternate first and second chairs, and violist Lawrence Dutton. In 2013 founding cellist David Finckel was succeeded by Paul Watkins, to whom the program notes attribute “a profound effect” on the ensemble, infusing it “with a warm, rich tone and a palpable joy in the collaborative process.”

The concert opened with first violinist Setzer leading a relaxed performance of Mozart’s late (1789) Quartet in D Major, K. 575. An arrestingly gentle opening “Allegretto” set the stage for a lyrical “Andante,” a lively “Menuetto” and trio, and a serene “Allegretto” finale. The Emersons’ trademark technical precision was enhanced by a sweet and singing sound.

Moving ahead to a century later (1878), the program’s first half ended with a glowing account of Dvorak’s Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 51 with Drucker as first violinist. A sunny opening “Allegro ma non troppo” precedes a melancholy “Dumka,” or Slavic lament, a graceful “Romanza,” and a rousing “Allegro assai” finale, partly in the rhythm of a fast Czech dance called the skocna. The players captured the full range of the quartet’s shifting moods with unerring accuracy.

Intermission was followed by a gripping rendition, with Setzer back in the first violin chair, of Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 5, in B-flat Major, Op. 92. Though written in 1951, it was not performed until after the death of Stalin in 1953. Selzer asked the audience to imagine the quartet’s effect on its first listeners, after a period when Shostakovich and other Soviet artists were routinely persecuted for their work. The Emersons played the three continuous movements – an earthy “Allegro,” a haunting “Andante,” and a stark “Moderato” – with eerie intensity.

The first season in the second century of this iconic chamber music series founded in 1918 by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge could not have ended on a higher note.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA

www.southmountainconcerts.org

October 6, 2019

by Michael J. Moran

Chamber music concerts most often feature duos, trios, or quartets. This one presented an unusual program of one string sextet and two string octets, including the acknowledged masterpiece of the genre and a brand new piece commissioned for the current ensemble.

Founded in 1958 by conductor Sir Neville Marriner and now led by Music Director (and violinist) Joshua Bell, the London-based Academy of St. Martin in the Fields orchestra formed its chamber ensemble in 1967, according to their program notes, “to perform the larger scale chamber music repertoire with players who customarily worked together.” The performers at South Mountain are all principal players of the orchestra.

Only two days after giving its world premiere in Columbus, Georgia, the ensemble opened the concert with British composer Sally Beamish’s 18-minute Partita for String Octet. She writes that since a partita is “traditionally a suite for a solo instrument,” she treats the eight musicians as both “a single entity” and “an ensemble of soloists.” Incorporating subtle quotes from Bach, Handel, and Mendelssohn respectively, its three short movements sparkled with grace and stylistic variety in this nimble performance.

The program’s first half ended with a heartfelt account of the second string sextet by Brahms. Completed in 1865, the piece recalls the composer’s deep infatuation of several years earlier with the young soprano Agathe von Siebold. From a glowing opening “Allegro non troppo” through a delicate “Scherzo” and tender “Poco adagio” to a life-embracing “Poco allegro” finale, the ensemble was deeply engaged.

Intermission was followed by a stunning rendition of Mendelssohn’s octet, which quotes the same Handel theme as Beamish does. Dating from 1825, when the composer was only sixteen, its most famous movement is the fleet “Scherzo,” which these musicians played exactly as Mendelssohn specifies: “Allegro leggierissimo” (as fast and light as possible). They were equally commanding in the brisk opening “Allegro,” the radiant “Andante,” and the exuberant closing “Presto.” 

The scenic Berkshire setting in the wooded hills of Pittsfield and the warm acoustics of the 101-year-old concert hall has attracted discerning audiences since 1918 to this celebrated early fall chamber music series established by legendary music patroness Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge.