West Stockbridge — The West Stockbridge Chamber Players will perform an all-Mozart program at the Old Town Hall on Sunday, October 20, to benefit the West Stockbridge Historical Society.
The program on Sunday is as follows:
- Divertimento No. 1 in B-flat major for three basset horns, KV 439b/l
- Divertimento “Don Giovanni” for three basset horns (arr. Schottstädt)
- Divertimento in E-flat major for string trio, K. 563
They are calling it neither a basset horn festival nor a Mozart festival. But an all-Mozart program featuring three basset horns is certainly a very special occasion, especially when you have three musicians from the Boston Symphony Orchestra playing the instruments.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart loved the clarinet, and he gave it prominent roles in some of his best-known compositions. Clarinet virtuoso Anton Stadler impressed Wolfgang with his basset horn playing, and Mozart, fascinated with the instrument, ended up composing works for basset horn between 1783 and 1785 expressly for Stadler to perform.
Divertimenti, as the name suggests, were intended for lighthearted entertainment and enjoyment—”diversion.” Accordingly, Mozart’s Divertimento in B-flat major conveys a playful, conversational mood, alternating between fast and slow sections. It also showcases the basset horn’s expressive range.
Divertimento “Don Giovanni” for three basset horns consists of themes from Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni” (K. 527) scored for chamber ensemble by Rainer Schottstädt. The piece repurposes some of the opera’s most recognizable melodies.
Divertimento in E-flat major for string trio, K. 563, is not your typical Divertimento. Composed in 1788, it stands out for the kind of length, complexity, and emotional depth you expect to find in his string quartets and quintets.
The musicians performing on Sunday are:
- William R. Hudgins — basset horn
- Catherine Hudgins — basset horn
- Andrew Sandwick — basset horn
- Sheila Fiekowsky — violin
- Daniel Getz — viola
- Adam Esbensen — cello
By giving innumerable benefit performances since 2010, the West Stockbridge Chamber Players have helped restore the Old Town Hall and turn it into a performance venue, museum, and community gathering place.
The Chamber Players’ founder, clarinetist Catherine Hudgins, performs frequently as an extra player with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Boston and at Tanglewood, as well as on international tours and at Carnegie Hall. You can hear her on recordings with the BSO, including the Grammy Award-winning performance of Ravel’s “Daphnis and Chloe.” The E-flat clarinetist with the Portland (Maine) Symphony and principal clarinetist of the Plymouth Philharmonic, Ms. Hudgins has performed with such leading conductors as Pierre Boulez, Christoph von Dohnányi, Kurt Masur, James Levine, Alan Gilbert, Bernard Haitink, Andris Nelsons, and Seiji Ozawa. She studied clarinet with Robert Marcellus and lives in Boston with her husband, BSO principal clarinetist William R. Hudgins.
Hear the West Stockbridge Chamber players perform an all-Mozart program at Old Town Hall, 9 Main St, West Stockbridge, MA 01266, on Sunday, October 20, at 3 p.m. More information and tickets are available here.
