The 21st Chamber Music Festival came to a powerful conclusion last Sunday with a performance of Schubert’s Cello Quintet, featuring the New Orford String Quartet and cellist Paul Marleyn.

The music was rich. The Quintet, written in the last year of the composer’s short life, offers an ambitious set of melodic and harmonic inventions. One can hear Schubert opening up to new structures in the wake of Beethoven’s innovations.

“I think he knew he was dying at that moment,” commented Mr. Marleyn. “So he really pours his heart into this piece and it’s so beautifully constructed: what the best popular songs do, Schubert can do for forty minutes!”

The unusual addition of a cello to the quartet adds texture and depth, increasing the sonic power of a quartet with a second instrument in the bass register. And, said Mr. Marleyn, “there’s another element it adds: there’s something very fun about two close colleagues playing together, bouncing off each other. There’s a kind of camaraderie that is created by those two cellos.”

The piece was not chosen only for its musical excellence, but also as a forum for collaboration between the NOSQ, who have been Artistic Directors of the Festival for seven years, and Mr. Marleyn, incoming Director. As Mr. Wan put it, “it made so much sense. Since we’re going to pass this festival over to Paul, how are we not going to play this piece?”

Mr. Marleyn is no stranger to the PEC Chamber Music Festival. He has played here often since 2005. He was a member of the Trio Hochelaga with the Festival’s founding director, pianist Stéphane Lemelin, who, it turns out, was best man at Mr. Marleyn’s wedding.

This passing of the torch, then, is not so much a linear succession as a cycle of tradition. The Festival’s success lies in the blend of the familiar and the new. Musically speaking it attends to “what people want to hear and what musicians want to play.” 

It has also hosted a Composer in Residence, who brings new work. This year, Ian Cusson introduced his newest string quartet, an evocative variety of vignettes, ranging from a sweet dissonance to a jaunty dance, with solo passages for each instrument of the NOSQ, who had commissioned the piece.

The Festival also features a Young Artists in Residence program, such as this year’s Rilian Trio, already winning prizes on their own. 

The familiarity is not only about the music. As Mr. Wan put it, “from the NOSQ’s very first time in 2012 the feeling that we had on stage was that we were playing for family. And that feeling has stuck. This is the only festival we ever thought we could run because we don’t want to run a festival where we don’t like the people!

“And there’s this amazing acoustic space at St. Mary Magdalene. Every seat has the warmth and clarity that you would want in your music hall.”

Mr. Marleyn added, “I think Stéphane recognized this right from the beginning: it’s a great venue, great acoustic. And he worked hard to get a really wonderful piano — and succeeded! It’s a great combination of elements here.”

How does Mr. Marleyn feel about taking over? “It’s a great honor to be asked to follow in the footsteps of the New Orford String Quartet. They are big shoes to fill. In fact, they’re also many shoes to fill!”

Chair of the Festival, Maureen Dunn noted, “the final performance was fabulous — and symbolic of how carefully both managed this transition. We feel we are in good hands. We welcome Paul with open arms.” At a farewell reception following the concert, she presented the NOSQ with lifetime festival passes.

We look forward to more of a great tradition.