For their final program of the 2025–26 season, the Rembrandt Chamber Musicians—drawn from the Lyric Opera Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra—offered a thoughtful look at how geographic displacement can refine a composer’s identity. The concert, performed May 17, was delivered with the poise of musicians who thoroughly understand the mechanics of ensemble playing.
Dvořák’s “American” String Quartet in F major and Mikhail Glinka’s Grand Sextet in E flat major do not often appear together, yet both emerged from periods when their composers were living abroad.The link between the two works is less stylistic than biographical. Each reflects a composer working at some remove from home, testing new influences.
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