Middle Europe has always been a kind of melting pot, as well as a crossroads through which travelers passed, bringing with them, and often leaving, influences of foreign lands and cultures. As a result, the culture of Eastern Europe is extraordinarily rich and has produced some of the world’s most important and powerful art. Its music is perhaps the greatest example, with composers from the Czechs Smetana and Janacek, to the Hungarians Bartok and Kurtag, creating in notes languages as expressive as their own mother tongues.

This week, the Chamber Music Society features music for flute and piano by Dutilleux, violin and double bass by Bottesini and clarinet and strings by Weber.

In this special concert, we hear miniatures by Joachim and by his friends, and also the landmark piano quintet by Robert Schumann. Among the featured performers is violinist Daniel Hope.

The Chamber Music Society takes a special delight in programming the rich and wonderful literature for voice and piano alongside its many instrumental offerings. In this week's program, you will hear a lot of very colorful music from two composers whose languages were as distinct as their nationalities.

“From the sublime to the ridiculous” would not be an insulting title for this program, especially when you know that the Russian avant-garde composer Alfred Schnittke would have gladly accepted the responsibility for the ridiculous element, Chamber Music Society's Co-Artistic Director David Finckel says to introduce this week's program.

Sometimes, two players are all that’s needed for some extraordinary chamber music and this program from the Chamber Music Society sets out to prove that point.