The Breckenridge Music Festival (BMF) is pleased to present another exciting night of chamber music, “Eight is Enough,” featuring the music of Stravinsky, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn. The program will consist of an array of BMF musicians performing in three different octets: Stravinsky’s Octet for Wind Instruments, Beethoven’s Octet for Winds in E Flat Major, and Mendelssohn’s Octet in E Flat Major.

Regarding the evening’s octet theme, violinist Nathan Olson (BMF concertmaster and Dallas Symphony Orchestra co-concertmaster) stated: “An octet certainly does straddle the line between a chamber music group and a small chamber orchestra. It would be difficult to add any more players without needing to have a conductor to keep everything together. It definitely can be challenging to keep such a large number of people on the same page and moving as one unit without the help of someone on the podium, but it does give the composer a wider range of textures and dynamics from which to draw.” Flautist Amy Casper said of the octet, “Because of the larger instrumentation, these groups have the ability to sound like the smaller trios and quartets, but they can produce much fuller sounds as well.  They have a great potential for expanding tone colors and dynamics.” Similarly, principal bassoonist Miles Maner stated: “An octet program is a nice contrast to other chamber programs because of the larger number of people on stage. The large size of an octet allows for a composer to explore more colors between more musicians and more instruments.”

Stravinsky’s Octet for Wind Instruments, premiered in 1923, is one of the earliest compositions of the neo-classical period of Stravinsky’s life, a period in which he re-examined the ideals of eighteenth-century masters such as Bach, Haydn, and Mozart. The Octet is rhythmically complex and extremely diverse in its influences, drawing from Gregorian chant, Haydn Symphonies, and Bach’s Two-part Inventions. Flautist Amy Casper states that the unique instrumentation of the Octet and the mixing of woodwinds and brass makes this piece particularly unique. Bassoonist Miles Maner says of the work, “Stravinsky’s Octet really is a gift to all bassoonists. His knowledge of the instrument’s many capabilities and characters results in a piece that is both challenging and rewarding.” Stravinsky made his conducting debut at the premier of this very piece at the Paris Opera House on October 18, 1923.

Despite the high opus number, the Octet for Winds in E Flat Major is still considered early for Beethoven. Composed between the years of 1792 and 1793, the work precedes almost all of his most well-known compositions. This particular octet is fairly reminiscent of Beethoven’s ties to the patronage system, a system in which musicians were hired by royal court to compose or perform, often in a salaried position. Interestingly enough, this is the very system in which Beethoven fought so hard to destroy, establishing a lasting independence between composer and royalty.

Mendelssohn’s Octet in E Flat Major is breathtakingly elegant, a work which he considered the favorite of all his compositions. Even more impressive is the fact that it was composed in 1825, when Mendelssohn was all of sixteen years old. It is widely considered the most outstanding major composition in the entire history of music by one so young, far surpassing comparable efforts of such famous child prodigies as Mozart or Schubert. According to Melvin Berger’s Guide to Chamber Music, “the Octet is more than an example of precocity; it is a consummate work of art, able to hold its own with the finest pieces of chamber music.” Regarding Mendelssohn’s chamber music masterpiece, violinist Nathan Olson remarked, “The Mendelssohn octet is a beloved piece among string players. It is truly one of the masterpieces in the whole chamber music genre, despite the fact that the composer wrote it at the age of 16. It would not be far-fetched to say that Mendelssohn was more of a child prodigy than even Mozart, based of the quality of writing we find here. It is an intoxicatingly vivacious piece which is a joy to play.”

Please join the Breckenridge Music Festival Orchestra for a night of chamber music at the Riverwalk Center on Tuesday, August 16th at 7:30 pm. For tickets ($25, $30, $35 Adults, $10 students, $7 juniors) call 970.547.3100 or log onto www.breckenridgemusicfestival.com.