Music Preview: Chamber concert is a taste of St. Barts

Thursday, May 08, 2008

By Andrew Druckenbrod, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Alex Klein will conduct musicians from the St. Barts Music Festival in Stravinsky's "The Soldier's Tale" and perform oboe in Prokofiev's Quintet in G minor for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and double bass.

Stravinsky's 'The Soldier's Tale'

Where: Hillman Center for the Performing Arts, Shady Side Academy, Fox Chapel.
When: 7 p.m. Monday.
Tickets: $20-$40 ($75 tickets include a meet-the-artist reception); 412-394-3353.

Each January a collection of top concert artists converge on the tiny island of St. Barthelemy in the French West Indies to take part in the St. Barts Music Festival. For those of us who can't make the trip, the festival is traveling here for a special concert in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society.

The featured work is Stravinsky's musical fable, "The Soldier's Tale." Also on the program are Debussy's Trio for flute, viola and harp and Prokofiev's Quintet in G minor for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and double bass.

"We are trying to broaden the base of chamber music," said Frances De Broff, who is president of both organizations. "The more variety you put together with top people, the more it appeals to the broader audience."

The participants are "top people," indeed. Many hold major jobs the world over, such as flutist Mathieu Dufour (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), bassist Timothy Cobb (Metropolitan Opera), bassoonist Nancy Goeres (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra) and trombonist Nitzan Haroz (Philadelphia Orchestra).

Alex Klein, also a fabulous oboist who will perform in the Prokofiev, will conduct "The Soldier's Tale."

Actor Philippe Benichou -- among many things the voice of several "Rugrats" characters -- will narrate.

Only PSO harpist Gretchen Van Hoesen, is not a participant of the festival, and not for want of talent.

"It's tough to get a harp to the island and keep it working," says De Broff with a chuckle.

The audience has the option of mingling with the musicians after the concert, a level of intimacy that De Broff applies in earnest at her festival.

"Our whole island is the green room," she says.

And she hopes the camaraderie of the performers carries over to the audience and inspires them to come to more chamber music concerts on the PCMS schedule.

"They have worked together for so long, it is like family."

Post-Gazette classical music critic Andrew Druckenbrod can be reached at adruckenbrod@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1750. He blogs at post-gazette.com/music/classicalmusings.

First published on May 8, 2008 at 12:00 am