Not to wish them ill, but I'm glad the Berlin Chamber Orchestra stayed home this year. Their absence allowed Camerata Sweden to find its a way Tuesday night to the Lied Center stage.
Camerata Sweden, the leading chamber orchestra of its namesake nation, is the epitome of musical balance and beauty.
Eight violins, three violas, two cellos and a double bass make up the conductor-less orchestra. Arne Balk-Moller, a remarkable Danish violinist who resembles a slender David Duchovny of "The X-Files," serves as the group's leader and "conducts" with a nod of his head, a glance across the stage or a half-step toward another player.
The most pleasing offering of the 1-hour-and-45-minute concert was the lovely "Romance, G Major, Op. 26" by Johan Svendsen. Balk-Moller's solo violin soared above the other players in a simple and sweet opening refrain that was repeated throughout the work. A more complex theme was then introduced, accompanied by an undertow of string plucking and short bowing. The work ended with Balk-Moller's violin nearly singing. A soft, romantic lingering note was suspended in air as if to convey the longing or perhaps fulfillment of love.
"La oracion del torero, Op. 34 " by Joaquin Turina allowed listeners' imaginations to paint a picture upon the Spanish-tinged musical canvas created by the orchestra. Most of the piece was prayerful in nature, but the brief middle-section interplay between the violins, cellos and bass evoked an image of a stamping and charging bull.
The rest of the program included "Divertimento, F Major, K.138" by Mozart; "String Symphony No. 10, B Minor" by Mendelssohn and "Suite in Old Style, Op. 40" from "Holberg's Time" by Grieg works that showed Sweden Camerata's well-rehearsed technique and strict attention to musical nuances.
An encore of a lively Mozart movement capped the night well.
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