Chamber Players
Sunday, January 18, 2026, at 1:30 PM
Christ Church Santa Fe, Sagrado Theater
1213 Don Gaspar
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Admission is free and donations are appreciated.
Parking available at the venue
An intimate afternoon of chamber music that journeys from early Romantic brilliance for clarinet and strings to the lyrical, folk-tinged sounds of early 20th-century Britain, highlighting the expressive range and color of small-ensemble playing.
Wind Quintet in G minor,
Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi's Wind Quintet in G Minor is an early chamber work composed during his formative years as a composer. The piece reflects Respighi's solid grounding in classical forms and his interest in exploring the expressive potential of wind instruments.
String Quintet in F major (Op. 88)
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms’ String Quintet in F Major, Op. 88, composed in 1882, is a masterpiece of chamber music that demonstrates his late-period mastery of form, structure, and expressive depth. This work is written for a traditional string quintet ensemble: two violins, two violas, and a cello. Brahms himself referred to the quintet as one of his finest compositions, and it holds a special place in the chamber music repertoire.
Clarinet Quintet (Op. 34)
Carl Maria von Weber
A radiant chamber-work that bridges classical elegance with the emerging Romantic spirit, showcasing the clarinet in a concerto-like role amid a string quartet. In this four-movement masterpiece, Weber draws on his long-standing collaboration with virtuoso Heinrich Baermann to explore the clarinet’s lyrical and agile character. The opening Allegro bursts forth with dramatic initiative and operatic flair, the second movement Fantasia unfurls long-hearted melodies and chromatic flights, the Capriccio-style Menuetto sparkles with levity and technical brilliance, and the concluding Rondo races ahead with jubilant virtuosity—making this one of the composer’s most eloquent chamber creations.
String Quartet No. 2 in E flat major
E.J. Moeran
A spacious and pastoral two-movement quartet that offers a gentle immersion into English and Irish folk-inspired lyricism, reflecting Moeran’s love of nature and melody. This somewhat mysterious and seldom-performed work gains fresh light here: the first movement evokes rustic open air and quietly gestured themes in broad sonata form; the second movement ultimately shifts from introspective song-like lines into dancing reels and a lively jig, bringing folk-tune energy into the chamber-music world.