The Boston Chamber Music Society appeals to me over other classical ensembles if only for one reason: geographic proximity. The majority of their concerts take place in Sanders Theater at Harvard University, just a 20-minute walk from my house. A few winter afternoons will bring them to the theater of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, just three more blocks beyond. The handiness of these venues beats a trek across the Charles River to Boston's South End or points further.
The five core musicians of the Boston Chamber Music Society augment their concerts with a rotating roster of guests artists who join in as the repertoire demands. On Sunday night I heard a Haydn piano trio (piano, violin and cello), a Beethoven string trio (violin, cello and viola), and a Strauss piano quartet (all of the above). Future concerts will swap in double bass, French horn, clarinet and vocalist. The BCMS season gives you the opportunity to hear live performances of smaller works by major composers in an intimate setting. As a bonus, the Society hosts a reception after each Sanders Theater concert, giving the audience a chance to mingle with the musicians and organizers over wine, cheese and cookie platters.
This concert demonstrated both the delights and the pitfalls of a live performance. Violinist Harumi Rhodes was alive to the music, sitting upright, her torso often mimicking the movement of her bow. In contrast, violist Marcus Thompson was more laid back, slouching into his chair. His laxness translated into some flabby notes that left me momentarily wondering what the intended harmony was supposed to be. The flat pitches drew genial glances from the other players: "Everything all right over there? Seems okay. Yes?"
Cellist Astrid Schween conveyed a lot with her eyes and was particularly engaged with the others during the bouncing rhythms of the Strauss quartet. Pianist Max Levinson sat behind the string players, so when he wasn't locked in to the printed music he had to read what body language he could from the back of the other musicians' heads. The pager turner went uncredited.
I am picking and choosing from the 8-concert BCMS season. I will skip the next two performances: another program of Beethoven and Strauss with some Bach; and an evening of Schubert and Brahms. But I am looking forward to the Parisian theme of the January concert with works by Ravel, Enescu and Franck.
