Chameleon Arts Ensemble: Proud Music of the Storm

The Chameleon Arts Ensemble’s April chamber music program addresses the question “Why is it that some of the most life-affirming art emerges from adversity?”

Composed even as he struggled with increasing deafness, Beethoven’s rarely-heard C Major String Quintet shines with optimism and joy; Gerald Finzi’s buoyant Bagatelles for clarinet and piano raised the spirits of weary Londoners during World War II; and David Bruce’s Gumboots for clarinet & string quartet was inspired by the vital, energetic “gumboot dancing” that arose from the brutal conditions of apartheid-era gold mines in South Africa. Rounding out the program are Michael Berkeley’s Fierce Tears for oboe and piano and Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff’s 1925 Concertino for flute, viola, and double bass, a work brimming with lively folk tunes.

Tickets are $47, $36 or $25 with $5 off for students and seniors. Saturday, April 22 at 8 PM, Sunday, April 23 at 4 PM at First Church in Boston. For more information or to order tickets, please call 617-427-8200 or visit http://www.chameleonarts.org.