Boston Chamber Music Society: Bliss, Britten, Vaughan Williams

Immerse in the sound world of twentieth-century Britain!

Written between the two world wars, Bliss’s Quintet for Oboe and Strings offers a quintessential pastoral soundscape, particularly with its lyrical Andante. The final movement weaves in quotes from the Irish tune “Connelly’s Jig.” Britten’s Sonata for Cello and Piano was composed for renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich in 1961. In turns lively and lamenting, the work contrasts sparse writing with more densely textured passages. Vaughan Williams’s Quintet in C minor brings melodic string writing underpinned by cascading piano lines. The expressive, romantic second movement gives way to a final theme and variations.