So Much Chamber Music!

This is a typical chamber music discussion I encounter:

Other Person:  I just love the symphony. I always try to attend when [insert famous conductor name here] is at the helm.

Me: I love classical music as well. My favorite form is chamber music. Do you like chamber music?

Other Person: What is chamber music?

Sometimes the other person won’t respond verbally. I will get a blank look or some stammering.

I try to describe it succinctly, e.g., trios, quartets, quintets etc. by Beethoven, Mozart and other familiar names, most often in an intimate setting. The other person still thinks I am talking about something avant garde or so healthy that it is unenjoyable.

It should not be this way! Chamber music is as accessible as it is compelling! You can hear the individual instruments, feel the sound vibrations and warm tones, see the musicians close up, etc. The prices are affordable. Best of all, it is a communal event. You can talk to fellow audience members and mingle with the musicians. It is not a big, anonymous, arena event with crazy parking and crazy logistics.

But that is subject for another blog entry.

The big takeaway: There is so much chamber music to be consumed in the southland in February and March. So much so, that I am suffering from that paradox of choice!

I don’t have the time or space to elaborate on the various upcoming chamber events. Simply allow me direct you to my website’s calendar and you will see what I mean.

I have to give a big shout out to Jim Eninger. He has a comprehensive southland chamber music newsletter.