The outgoing year was a good one for chamber music. Both the NOVA Chamber Music Series and the Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake City figure prominently in my Top 10 for 2013.

Under Jason Hardink’s direction NOVA continues to be impressive in its programming and high artistic level. The series doesn’t shy away from challenging its audience with classics of the 20th  century that otherwise wouldn’t get their due in Utah, as well as bringing the music of young, cutting edge composers to the Beehive State. NOVA is certainly a significant part of our musical scene.

Over the years the Chamber Music Society has introduced a number of young ensembles to local audiences. CMS has always seen the importance of a balanced representation of established and up-and-coming groups to its season line ups. And consequently we’ve had the opportunity of seeing some wonderful young quartets, many of which have been raising the bar of artistic excellence.

Below is my Top 10 for 2013, listed in chronological order.

1. NOVA: To start off the year, soprano Tony Arnold gave a stunning performance of Schoenberg’s groundbreaking Pierrot lunairethat showed that the work has lost nothing in terms of vivid musical imagery in the past 100 years. Arnold brought depth of expression and an intensity of emotions that captured the power that the work still exudes.
   

   Elias Quartet

2. CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF SALT LAKE CITY: One of the most exciting young quartets today is the Elias Quartet from England. The group made a welcome appearance in Libby Gardner Concert Hall in March thanks to CMS. They played a wonderful program of Haydn, Janacek and Schumann. But it was their account of Schumann’s Quartet in A minor, op. 41, no. 1, that stood out. They imbued their playing with an effusiveness that underscored the work’s deeply romantic character and delightful lyricism.
3. SALT LAKE VOCAL ARTISTS AND CHAMBER CHOIR: Brady Allred’s Salt Lake Choral Artists organization has given some memorable concerts over the years. One of its best to date was the performance of Handel’s oratorio Israel in Egypt by the Vocal Artists and Chamber Choir last March. Under Allred’s lucid direction, the vocal ensembles and the handpicked orchestra performed with clarity and precision that brought meaning and definition to the music.
4. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH LYRIC OPERA ENSEMBLE: Robert Breault’s Lyric Opera Ensemble has time and again proven itself as an exceptional training ground for young singers. This year’s production of Verdi’s Falstaff easily ranks in the top for the year, not only because of guest Stephen Condy in the title role, but also because of the remarkable cast of young talent Breault brought together. It was a dynamic, fun and professional production that was a delight to see.
5. GINA BACHAUER CONCERT SERIES: In non-competition years, the Bachauer Foundation hosts concert series that bring former medal winners back to Utah. This year, among the returning winners was Vassily Primakov, the 2002 silver medalist. One of today’s most eloquent interpreters of Chopin’s music, Primakov not surprisingly played an all-Chopin recital that amply displayed his amazing musicality.
   

   Cédric Pescia

6. GINA BACHAUER CONCERT SERIES: In September, Cédric Pescia, the 2002 gold medal winner, came to Salt Lake City and wowed his audience with powerful readings of Beethoven’s last three sonatas (op. 109, 110 and 111) that showed off his remarkable technical chops and stellar pianism. 
7. UTAH SYMPHONY: Since becoming the Utah Symphony’s music director, Thierry Fischer has been adventurous in programming concerts. One composer that has been well served over the last few years is Berlioz, whose Le damnation de Faust was given a superbly crafted and finely nuanced reading. Fischer is a fine exponent of the French composer’s music, and he captured the scope and depth of the work and brought feeling and passion and subtle expressiveness to his account.
8. NOVA: NOVA stood out a second time this year, this time with a colorful and striking performance of Stravinsky’s L’histoire du soldat, in collaboration with Plan-B Theatre Company. Under the direction of guest conductor Steven Schick, the work was played with crisp articulation and finely crafted expressiveness. Using minimal movement, the production was well conceived and imaginative. 
9. CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LOGAN: Logan has a vibrant chamber music society that’s been around for more than three decades. They bring some wonderful ensembles to northern Utah, and in October it was the Emerson Quartet with Paul Watkins, the group’s new cellist, that came to town. Too often in the past the Emerson has given less than noteworthy performances here in Utah, but this concert was without question one of the best the foursome has played here. The highlight of the concert was a magnificent account of Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 14 that captured the work’s intensity of expressions and raw energy.
   

   Modigliani Quartet

10. CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF SALT LAKE CITY: Closing out the year was a captivating reading of Debussy’s sole quartet by the Modigliani Quartet, another young ensemble out of Europe that has been making waves and is certainly a quartet to look out for. Their playing was notable for beautifully crafted phrasings, textured lyricism and subtle expressions. Their interpretation set a new standard for the Debussy.