Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra overcomes a weak start at the Capitol Theater

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Serious business came to the rescue, though, first in the form of the "Double Concerto in A minor" by Brahms, his final orchestral work. Composed in reaction to hearing Dvorak's great Cello Concerto, and also as a gesture of reconciliation to his estranged friend, violinist Joseph Joachim, the concerto is really a re-creation of the old form of the "concertant symphony" that flourished in the late eighteenth century, with two solo instruments set against the orchestra in a combination of close partnership and intimate dialogue.

Featured in this Masterwork Series performance were two guests, violinist Judith Ingolfsson and cellist Mark Kosower. The two worked earnestly at their partnership. I had the feeling that Ingolfsson's tone, admittedly sweet, was just a little understated, against the bold and robust sound mustered by Kosower, who seemed to have to pull back out of deference to her comparative shyness.

Still, they kept us interested all the way. And while the WCO may not have the grandiose sound of larger orchestras, it produced a brave sound, with predictable advantage allowed to the winds. Conductor Andrew Sewell used every chance in orchestral passages to explore shadings and inflections on his own.

After the intermission there was a program addition, to celebrate the donation of a new and fine set of timpani. Thus, a movement was played from Haydn's "Symphony No. 103," known as the "Drumroll" Symphony. That name comes from the timpani flourishes that frame the work's first movement, but for some reason the excerpt chosen was the third movement, not notable for timpani prominence.

The concluding work was an adaptation for string orchestra of Schubert's famous String Quartet in D minor, known as "Death and the Maiden" for its second-movement set of variations on a part of the composer's own song of that title. This adaptation was charted by another great composer, Gustav Mahler, as one of his first experiments with what have come to be called his "retouching," mainly of orchestral works, such as symphonies by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Bruckner.

As a working conductor, Mahler began with the Schubert Quartet, and with Beethoven's Op. 95 Quartet, partly to gain these works wider audiences, while "strengthening" them against the challenge of ever-larger concert halls. Especially in the case of this Schubert work, one of the great treasures of the quartet literature, what Mahler proposed really should not be called an "arrangement." He never changed any of Schubert's notes, though he introduced some part doublings, suggested some use of mutes, and added a role for double basses (with a few discreet touches of his own included) -- all of these in annotations of Schubert's score that had to be deciphered in the 1980s to create this full string-orchestra expansion.

The resulting amplification naturally sacrifices the bite and austerity of the original texture in favor of a lushness allowing greater dynamic and coloristic expansion. Of such opportunities, Sewell took full advantage, in a widely expressive performance. There are moments when rapid passage-work intended for a single instrument can be problematical when transferred to a full section. And there were a few edgy ensemble moments in the first movement.

But the WCO strings quickly pulled into shape and produced a superbly unified and disciplined performance that is one more tribute to the high standards of playing that Sewell has achieved with his string band. Remembering the recent performance in which he led them through Tchaikovsky's great "Serenade for Strings," I was amazed to hear in this Schubert finale what seemed like veritable -- if nevertheless quite artificial -- anticipations of that Tchaikovsky score.

Nowadays, of course, this Mahler experiment is a somewhat dated curiosity, and it is an easy matter to return gratefully to Schubert's original. Still, this is a fascinating curiosity, and I was surprised at how absorbing and enjoyable I found it.