Boston Symphony Chamber Players

Chambermusic

The only permanent chamber music ensemble sponsored by a major symphony orchestra and made up of that orchestra's principal players, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players include the Boston Symphony's first-desk string, woodwind, brass, and percussion players. The Chamber Players can perform virtually any work within the vast chamber music literature, and they can expand their range of repertory by calling upon other BSO members or enlisting the services of distinguished guest pianists. The Chamber Players' activities include an annual three-concert series in Boston's Jordan Hall, regular appearances at Tanglewood, and a busy schedule of touring and recording. In addition to appearances throughout the United States, the group has toured Europe six times and Japan three times; they have also performed in South America and the Soviet Union. Among the Chamber Players' recordings are Hindemith's Quartet and Shostakovich's Piano Quintet in G minor, on Arabesque, recently nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance; quintets for clarinet and strings by Mozart and Brahms, on Philips; and on Nonesuch, John Harbison's Words from Paterson, with baritone Sanford Sylvan; the Beethoven Septet and Schubert Octet; Smetana's G major piano trio and the Dvorák string sextet; the Brahms string quintets; and music by Aaron Copland and Leon Kirchner.