Fort Worth — Chamber music was originally just that—music played in the chamber, that is, the music chamber. This was usually a room in a grand home that could accommodate a string quartet or an ensemble as well as a piano. Invited guests were seated around, where ever a chair would fit, and the concert was heard with little space between performers and listeners.
Even major artists like Chopin played in such "chambers." Nowadays, chamber music is presented in smallish concert halls, such as Southern Methodist University's Caruth Auditorium or Texas Christian University's PepsiCo Hall. Here, there is distance between performers and audience which is much greater than in as home. The immediacy is lost. Fortunately, there are local some organizations, such as the Hall Ensemble of Fort Worth, heard on Tuesday evening, that still present concerts in elegant homes.
The Hall Ensemble was fortunate to find the stunning home of Stanley and Patricia Wright, near Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Soaring three stories on top of a hill, it appeared more like a four-unit condominium. I later discovered that the four car garage was a necessity because Mr. Wright is a dealer in used cars, creating a need to be able to store them.
We were treated royally. Guest's cars were whisked away by valets and wine and refreshments were served. The layout was perfect. The main rooms on the first floor are a living room and dinning room that meet in the center. It was here, at the intersection that the Hall Ensemble performed, giving both "wings" of the floor an equally good view. The acoustics were marvelous, at least from where I sat, and I heard no complaints at intermission.
The Hall Ensemble is unique in that it is a fine string quartet with the seemingly incongruous addition of a bassoon. This is probably, one assumes, because the organizer of the ensemble, cellist Karen Hall, and the bassoonist, Kevin Hall, are both named Hall, although no explanation of a relationship appears in the program biographies.
As it turns out, the inclusion of the bassoon makes for a fortuitous collaboration. The group played music specifically written for bassoon and string quartet, such as the opening piece, the Grand Quintet for Bassoon and String Quartet by Anton Reicha, a contemporary of Beethoven. Later, in three opera arias arranged for the ensemble, with the violist taking the solo voice parts, the bassoon supplied a subtle but necessary voice to fill out the ensemble. The bassoon was featured in a solo at the end of the concert in an arrangement of Escualo, by tango king Astor Piazzolla.
The string quartet component, sans Bassoon, gave an absolutely first class reading of Beethoven's String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No.1, which was given a charmingly personal introduction by first violinist Curt Thompson. He is one of the area's finest violinists and chamber musicians, so it is little wonder that the playing was excellent. Equally good players, Pei-Ju Wu, second violin; Daniel Sigale, viola; and the previously mentioned Karen Hall, cello, make up the other three players of the quartet. This is a well-matched set, both in tone quality and musicianship.
Future concerts are equally intriguing. On Feb. 21, Fort Worth Opera conductor Joe Illick will join them for a performance of Beethoven's sublime "Archduke" trio. Equally attractive will be the May 8 concert, as Fort Worth Symphony's Principal Horn Mark Houghton joins in with the elastic ensemble. Although venues are not mentioned in the listings in the program (once you purchase a ticket, you get the address of the concert), it can be expected that they will take place in equally enticing locations. 
