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The surviving movement of the Piano Quartet in A minor (circa 1876) by the sixteen-year-old Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was a pleasure to encounter. While the chamber works of Schubert and Dvorák were clearly influences, this music sings with the burning passion and intensity of human emotion that is quintessentially Mahler. The instrumental writing is richly expressive and technically demanding. A wonderful score! In both the Strauss vignettes and Mahler quartet violinist Veronica Pellegrini's intonation was sometimes uncertain but her musical intensity was undeniable.

The exquisite pianism of Anna Stoytcheva (a native of Bulgaria and graduate of New York's Juilliard School) was a standout. Ms Stoytcheva's playing was exquisite -- limpid and elegant of phrase. Her deeply passionate musical approach set the Mahler extract ablaze. The beautiful, glowingly burnished tone of cellist Marilyn De Oliveira (a native of Brazil who holds degrees from Indiana and Rice Universities) was sonorous and rich. The finely pointed musicality of violist Chris Tantillo (Cleveland Institute) added depth to the quartet.

The New World Symphony musicians offered an engrossing afternoon of rarely heard works. Their performances were consistently well-rehearsed and idiomatically conceived. The revivals of important scores by Mahler and Hindemith were major artistic events and a tribute to the inventive musical spirit of Paula Robison and her colleagues!