“Unimpeachable quality.”—New York Times

The acclaimed Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) returns to the UGA Performing Arts Center’s Hodgson Concert Hall Sunday, April 23 at 3 p.m. with a lyrical program called The Brahms Effect. In this Franklin College Chamber Music Series performance, two Brahms trios precede a sextet by the younger Hungarian composer Ernö Dohnányi.

One of music’s leading figureheads at the culmination of the Romantic era, Brahms remains unsurpassed in his emotional range and innovative spirit, both of which laid an inspirational groundwork for a generation of composers to come. One such artist was Dohnányi, whose Sextet in C major owes its formative elements to Brahms.

Brahms’s Clarinet Trio, Op. 114 is an autumnal work inspired by the playing of clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, whose virtuosity and expressivity lured Brahms out of retirement to compose four pieces. The Horn Trio, Op. 40 was unusual in its time for the inclusion of a French horn in chamber music. “The work is a beautiful addition to the chamber repertoire,” writes program annotator A. Kori Hill, “not despite, but in fact because of, its unusual instrumentation.”

Completed in 1935, but often sounding older, Dohnanyi’s sweeping, yearning Sextet, Op. 37 looks both backward and forward. Its tone is Brahmsian, given the prominent roles for clarinet and horn.

This lineup of the CMS includes pianist Juho Pohjonen, clarinetist David Shifrin, horn player Radek Baborak, violinist Chad Hoopes, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, and cellist and co-artistic director David Finckel. Their Athens performance comes between concerts at Wolf Trap (outside Washington D.C.) and in New Orleans.

This concert is supported by Max Gilstrap, in memory of Hubert H. Whitlow, Jr. There is a pre-performance talk in Ramsey Concert Hall at 2:15 pm (free admission).

Free shuttle transportation to this performance is available for Clarke County seniors, thanks to a partnership between the Performing Arts Center and the Athens Community Council on Aging. For more information, call (706) 542-4400.

For a complete list of UGA Presents performances, click here.

Three Ways to Order Tickets

1. Purchase tickets online 24/7 online here.
2. Call the Performing Arts Center Box Office at (706) 542-4400, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
3. Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center Box Office, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (5 minute parking is available in the drop off circle at the Performing Arts Center for purchasing or picking up tickets.)

Photo: David Finckel by Tristan Cook