The reassuring power of music remains one
of our best hopes for the continued survival of civilized society,
and the fact that the fall classical season is underway will
undoubtedly "civilize" us even further.
The 21 members of the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble – an offshoot
of the renowned Orchestra of St. Luke’s, this season under Principal
Conductor Donald Runnicles – open their Signature Series of three
concert programs performed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, on
Oct. 7. The subtitle for the chamber ensemble’s series, "The
Heart and Soul of St. Luke’s," has never been more solemnly
appropriate.
Most orchestras program chamber music series so their members
can practice their chops, so to speak, play music for smaller
groups of musicians, or simply so they can perform great pieces
that a larger orchestra could not play. The St. Luke’s Chamber
Ensemble is no exception; its three programs strike a fine balance
between all of the foregoing, allowing most of its members the
opportunity to play in at least one of the concerts during the
season.
For its opening concert, the ensemble goes right to the heart
of the Russian musical soul, performing 19th-century works by
composers as diverse as Mikhail Glinka, Sergei Taneyev and Piotr
Tchaikovsky, whose gleaming Sextet for Strings (subtitled "Souvenir
for Florence") closes the concert.
Although the Tchaikovsky work is the most notable, each of the
other works has its own striking qualities. The Glinka trio,
for example, called the "Pathetique," is ingeniously
scored for clarinet, bassoon and piano; the composer gets the
music to sound melancholy with enormous skill, considering that
bassoon (played by Dennis Godburn) is often ignored as a "serious"
solo or ensemble instrument.
As for Taneyev’s Quintet No. 1 for Strings, its grave moments
are balanced by a truly Russian gift for melody, not unlike his
near-contemporary Tchaikovsky.
There are few true chamber works, by definition, that are written
for many players, but J.S. Bach’s most familiar masterpieces,
the Six Brandenburg Concerti, are among them. The Brandenburgs
are usually taken up by most companies as a festive program around
holiday time. St. Luke’s, however, has it scheduled for the Brooklyn
Museum of Art on Nov. 11. And why not? The brilliance of the
Brandenburgs shouldn’t preclude them from being heard in any
other month but December, and they give much of the ensemble
a rare chance to shine together.
With special guest baritone Kurt Ollmann, St. Luke’s will wrap
up its 2001-2002 season with a challenging, intriguing program
at the museum on March 17. Opening with a rarely heard Franz
Schubert piece – Introduction and Variations on the song "Trockne
Blumen" ("Faded Flowers") from the cycle "Die
Schoene Muellerin" ("The Maid of the Mill") –
the concert then moves onto Ollmann singing Maurice Ravel’s typically
dazzling "Chansons Madecasses" ("Madagascar Songs"),
a group of witty French melodies accompanied by flute, cello
and piano.
Finally, after intermission comes one of the weightiest, most
profound works in any genre – not just chamber music: Schubert’s
Quintet for Strings. This epic, nearly hour-long work derives
much of its gravity from the second cello, along with the standard
string quartet of two violins, viola and cello. That second cello
gives each bar of music a special weight, imbuing nearly every
second of this intensely moving music with an almost unbearable
sadness, particularly the astonishing 20-minute opening slow
movement.
For those audience members who want to hear this top-flight ensemble
in a place other than the Brooklyn Museum of Art – let’s say
in one’s own home – the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble has several
recordings that are either just released or are on the way. Already
available are two CDs, "From the Forest" (Arabesque
Recordings, $17), featuring Stewart Rose on horn; and a new take
on the Vivaldi war horse "Four Seasons" (EMI Classics,
$17), with violinist Kyung Wha Chung.
But what is still to come is even more tantalizing, all courtesy
of the Arabesque label. First is a recording of Haydn’s Symphonies
6, 7 and 8, titled "Morning, Noon and Night." Haydn
penned 104 symphonies, and it’ll be nice to have a recording
of three of his most charming works on one disc ($17).
Secondly, last year’s superlative St. Luke’s performance at the
museum of a special arrangement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 –
with the lithe soprano Heidi Grant Murphy singing the lovely
children’s song "Das himmlische Leben (Heavenly Life)"
in the final movement – has been recorded; Richard Westerfield
conducted (Arabesque, $17). And, lastly, St. Luke’s members Elizabeth
Mann and Deborah Hoffman play transcriptions of Chopin for Flute
and Harp on another recording (Arabesque, $17).
The St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble will
perform their Signature Series at the Brooklyn Museum of Art
(200 Eastern Parkway) beginning on Oct. 7 at 2 pm. Tickets are
$25, $18 students, seniors and Brooklyn Museum of Art members.
For more information about the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the
St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, go to www.orchestraofstlukes.org
on the Web or call (212) 594-6100.
