Shriver Hall received a taste of summer in Vermont on 'D Saturday night, with Musicians from Marlboro's charming performance of lesser-played chamber works by Haydn, Hindemith and Beethoven. The blend of seasoned professionals with young, rising talents offers hope for the future of music.
Musicians from Marlboro is a touring extension of the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, founded in 1951. The festival brings together leading musicians from all over the world to explore a vast repertoire of chamber music, away from the pressures of professional concert life and with unlimited rehearsal time. The sense of ensemble was exemplary, with plenty of eye contact and give-and-take.
The first work on the program was the only true letdown. The Haydn Trio in C Major, Hob. XI:101, is one of the composer's 160-odd trios for viola, cello and baryton. The baryton is a wonderful instrument, a close relative of the viola da gamba, with two sets of strings. It can be bowed and plucked simultaneously, and Haydn used its versatility to great effect. The Musicians from Marlboro, however, played his trio on a viola, a cello and a tenor viola. The tenor viola is a fine, dark-sounding instrument, but it changed this bright little divertimento-style trio into a brooding, muffled, totally forgettable experience.
The gears shifted from neutral to high when the entire ensemble assembled for the Octet for Winds and Strings by Paul Hindemith.
Each movement was played to perfection. All the musicians were accomplished, but special note must be given to violist Samuel Rhodes, who handled the challenging viola part with style and panache.
The Beethoven Septet that concluded the evening was a stellar presentation of a work even Beethoven did not like. It shows the composer as a good copier of the style of Haydn and Mozart but with few original or profound thoughts.
The music is a woodsy, outdoor frolic, and the Musicians from Marlboro made the most of the cheerful score. Violinist Hiroko Yajima gave her all in the virtuoso violin parts. And clarinetist Jo-Ann Sternberg was eloquent, playing with a pure, flexible tone. The evening may not have been profound, but the joy of music-making certainly made it memorable.