Music Reviews : Bath Ensemble

The Bath International Ensemble, which appeared at Beckman Auditorium, was established, according to the program biography, “through the efforts of Bruno Schrecker at the request of the City of Bath, England . . . (it) brings together the Allegri Quartet and soloists with whom they have particularly enjoyed playing for worldwide performances.”

For Sunday’s all-star, audience-friendly program, the veteran Allegri members--violinists Peter Carter and David Roth, violist Roger Tapping, cellist Schrecker--were joined by British flutist William Bennett, Canadian clarinetist James Campbell and Dutch pianist Rian de Waal.

If Bennett has played Mozart’s Flute Quartet in D, K. 285 a few times too often, as must be the case, it wasn’t obvious from this joyously nimble performance. And if anyone brings more wit and bucolic charm to the Weber Clarinet Quintet than Campell, the name escapes this listener.

For the Weber, Campbell had the Allegri’s estimable help, in a reading marked not only by the requisite spiritedness but also by overall elegance of tone and dynamic subtlety.

The most ambitious offering of the afternoon, Dvorak’s Opus 81 Piano Quintet, was, unfortunately, its least impressive component, with the cellist all too obviously losing the intonational battle, some thin-toned violin playing and De Waal’s wan, small-scaled pianism.

Under other circumstances, the ensuing Introduction and Allegro of Ravel might have proven anti-climactic.

Here, however, with guest Jo Ann Turovsky stylishly tending to the central harp solo, Ravel’s sexy charmer brought the afternoon--and the 88th season of Coleman Chamber Concerts--to a satisfying, conclusion.