In a month marked by big elections, big news, big meals and big family gatherings, may I humbly suggest that small is beautiful? That certainly applies to classical music, where the intimacy and honesty of chamber music promises an antidote to loud voices and big egos. As the composer Paul Hindemith suggested:
Your task, it is, amidst confusion, rush and noise
To grasp the lasting, calm and meaningful
And finding it anew, to hold and treasure it.
Here are some places to find the small beauty of chamber music this week:
In Minneapolis, Accordo offers the rarely heard Gustav Mahler Quintet, plus Claude Debussy’s Cello Sonata, a candle flame of hope during World War I.
The Winona Symphony and Minnesota Marine Art Museum present string quartets, including the Samuel Barber quartet containing the original version of his iconic Adagio for Strings.
Artaria Quartet continues its season with Sound & Syntax, where Sergei Prokofiev meets the pop inspired music of Sri Lankan-born composer Dinuk Wijeratne.
Leaving its home base in Mankato, the music ensemble ProMusica Minnesota, including several members of the Minnesota Orchestra, heads to the Chamber Music Society of St. Cloud to perform two of the greatest quintets ever written: Antonin Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 and Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet.
The Music in the Park Series rounds out the weekend in St. Paul with W.A. Mozart and Johannes Brahms from a new, all-star group that lives up to its name: Espressivo!
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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment‘s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
