ProMusica Chamber Orchestra offers an unusual instrument combination this weekend at the Worthington United Methodist Church. It's not often you hear a quintet made up of a bassoon and strings, but it works to great effect in this tasty program.
The string quartet—violinists Heather Kufchak and Will Manley, violist Brett Allen and cellist Cora Kuyvenhoven—will be on Classical 101 at 9 a.m. Friday to chat with me about the Saturday performance and to play highlights from two of the works on the program.
Francois Devienne is not a name often seen on concert programs today, but his Quartet for Bassoon and Strings is a delightful blending. Devienne played the bassoon and wrote a lot of music that highlighted his instrument.
The bassoon is also featured in an arrangement of the Six Studies in English Folk Song by Ralph Vaughan Williams and the Variations for Bassoon and String Quartet by Anton Reicha. All three feature ProMusica principal bassoon Ellen Connors.
The other two works on the program give the ProMusica String Quartet a chance to shine. The musicians will play movements from one of the "Razumovsky" quartets, String Quartet in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 by Beethoven, and the String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11 by Tchaikovsky.
It promises to be a wonderful evening of intimate chamber music with ProMusica. You can find details at ProMusicaColumbus.org.
