Our second season was ushered in by the dal Vicino String Quartet. “dal Vicino,” meaning “at the neighbor’s,” is the fitting new name for the musicians who bring their talent to Music at Saddle Rock. The concert began and ended with selections from two well-known works - Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #3, and “Autumn” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. A piece relatively new to the Western world was a 2-movement string quartet by the 16-year old Sergei Rachmaninoff. The featured work was Schubert’s moving String Quartet in A minor, “Rosamunde.” Continuing the tradition of dance music - begun last year with a group of tangos – dal Vicino performed a festive set of waltzes by Johann Strauss, Jr. Great music, dessert, coffee, and friends – that’s an evening “at the neighbor’s.”

The dal Vicino String Quartet: Annamaria Karacson, violin, Heiling Yeung, violin, Barbara Hamilton-Primus, viola, and Karen Terbeek, cello

Our inaugural concert featured the Columbine String Quartet performing a wonderful variety of familiar and not-so-familiar works. Why a string quartet? This is the very core of chamber music, with a long tradition of being performed in intimate settings. The heart of the program was Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 18, No. 4. This is from Beethoven’s very first set of string quartets – an appropriate choice for a fledgling concert series. The music ranged from the elegance of Mozart to the steamy tango rhythms of Gardel and Piazzola. A lighter moment was provided by a reading of Ogden Nash poems accompanied by a lullaby written for string quartet by George Gershwin. The audience and the musicians had the opportunity to get to know one another over brunch following the concert. Thanks to the Columbine String Quartet and our first-ever audience for getting Music at Saddle Rock off to an exciting start.

The Columbine String Quartet: Annamaria Karacson, violin, Gyongver Petheo, violin, Barbara Hamilton-Primus, viola (guest artist), and Karen Terbeek, cello

Our Valentine’s Day concert featured those most romantic of instruments, the harp and the flute, augmented by the richness of two beloved stringed instruments, the violin and cello. It should go without saying that we emphasized the music of love. We shamelessly interspersed European composers such as Lehar, Bizet, Massenet, Rachmaninoff and Mendelssohn with more modern fare, composed by the likes of Cole Porter and John Henry Deutschendorff (better known to most as John Denver). The program opened and closed with works by Pachelbel and Vivaldi, because they were – simply lovely. A narration woven in amongst the selections provided some insights into the compositions as well as facts and legends associated with Valentine’s Day. The post-concert reception conversation was served up with champagne, strawberries, and chocolate.

Karen Yonovitz, flute, Annamaria Karacson, violin, Karen Terbeek, cello, and Pamela Eldridge, harp

What a powerful conclusion to our season – an evening of piano trio masterworks with guest artist Larry Graham, a prize-winning pianist and Beethoven scholar. This was a “serious” concert in the very best sense of the word – stimulating music by 3 of the most prominent composers in all of Western music – Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Beethoven. Each composer was represented by one of his mature works. Mozart’s Trio IV (K. 548) gives us both simple dance forms and sophisticated emotional content; the Andante movement from Mendelssohn’s Trio 1 in D Minor shows us the romantic end of the musical spectrum. Taking focus – and how could it not – was Beethoven’s towering Archduke Trio (Trio VII Op. 97), written as part of his successful emergence from a deeply frustrating dry spell in terms of inspiration and productivity. Our pleasure in hearing these works was enhanced by dessert and wine during intermission and after the concert.

Anamaria Karacson, violin, Karen Terbeek, cello, and Larry Graham, piano