Yura Lee and Harumi Rhodes, violins; Marcus Thompson and Dimitri Murrath, violas; Raman Ramakrishnan, cello / Recorded live on September 24, 2017 at Sanders Theatre, Cambridge / Broadcast on WCRB In Concert on December 30, 2018

00:00 Allegro vivace | 09:59 Andante scherzando | 14:38 Adagio e lento | 23:45 Allegro molto vivace

Powered by vigorous tremolos and buoyant triplets, the opening movement of the quintet is pure energy. Rhythmic unity sustains the funereal Adagio e lento before giving way to a rollicking last movement that takes a brief respite before hurtling to a forceful finish.

Mendelssohn String Quintet in B-flat major, Op. 87

Yura Lee, violin; Marcus Thompson, viola; Clancy Newman, cello; Max Levinson, piano / Recorded live on November 12, 2017 at Sanders Theatre, Cambridge / Broadcast on WCRB in Concert on December 30, 2018

00:00 Allegro | 13:42   Intermezzo: Allegro ma non troppo | 21:21   Andante con moto | 31:10   Rondo alla Zingarese

The premiere of the G minor quartet in Vienna established Brahms as one of the leading composers of the time. From the expansive sonata structure of Allegro to the brisk march in the Andante con moto and the use of Hungarian style in the last movement, the quartet shows that even early in his career Brahms had a knack for reinventing pre-existing forms.

Brahms Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25

Jennifer Frautschi, violin; Marcus Thompson, viola; Nicholas Canellakis, cello; Benjamin Hochman, piano / Recorded live on February 16, 2020 at Sanders Theatre, Cambridge 

00:00 Allegro molto moderato | 9:47 Scherzo. Allegro vivo | 15:31 Adagio | 22:55 Allegro molto

Faure’s Piano Quartet in C minor Op. 15 appeared at a time when he was searching for a personal style, and when French composers were trying to reclaim a voice distinct from the dominant Germanic tradition. It is filled with moving, serene moments and brings nobility and spaciousness to the use of minor mode.

Fauré Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 15

Harumi Rhodes, violin; Dimitri Murrath, viola; Raman Ramakrishnan, cello; Max Levinson, piano / Recorded live on September 24, 2017 at Sanders Theatre, Cambridge / Broadcast on WCRB in Concert on December 30, 2018

00:00 Allegro molto moderato | 11:38 Scherzo. Allegro molto | 15:09 Adagio non troppo | 25:58 Allegro molto

Replete with Fauré's trademark harmonic complexity and fluid phrase endings, the Piano Quartet in G minor is "intensity on a background of calm." The piano at the beginning of the slow movement mirrors the composer's childhood recollection of the tolling of bells in the village of Cadirac--a singular event for Fauré, who was a vigilant believer in aestheticism.

Fauré Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 45

The Boston Chamber Music Society, BCMS, is an ensemble of superb musicians who come together in different combinations to prepare and perform chamber music. Since its founding in 1982, BCMS has built a reputation for impassioned performances, ripened over time by the long personal and professional histories of its member musicians. BCMS invites guest artists, chosen for their particular affinity for the works they will play, to join its members, expanding the artistic possibilities to virtually all works in the chamber music repertoire.

BCMS’s mission is to provide the public with exceptional performances of chamber music repertoire from the Baroque era to the present day while fostering understanding and appreciation of the art form, making it more accessible to all.

BCMS presents the longest-running chamber music series and is distinguished for its enduring performance standards in Boston’s musically fertile region. In addition to its monthly concerts at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre, BCMS has performed in multiple neighborhood venues in the greater Boston area, toured nationally and internationally, and issued critically acclaimed recordings under its own label.

Beyond the concert stage, its musicians offer open rehearsals and masterclasses to students from educational institutions at various levels, and coach participants of all ages in its annual chamber music workshop to deepen their enthusiasm for the genre. Its hybrid fellowship program in cooperation with the New England Conservatory’s Entrepreneurial Musicianship department engages young musicians to serve as interns in the office to learn the basic inner workings of running an ensemble or concert series and to perform with the ensemble in concerts and community events. The BCMS Teaching Artist Program at the Somerville High School provides the SHS String Orchestra students weekly coaching as well as free access to its concerts.

Boston Chamber Music Society

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