Friday, January 20th was among the wettest days Santa Barbara has had recently, and a lot wetter than we’ve had in recent years. Hahn Hall was a perfect place to escape the wet and cold winds and enjoy the fourth concert in Camerata Pacifica’s 22016-2017 season. There was a fair amount of wind on stage, but all of it was warm and blowing to make beautiful music. Featuring an wind octet (2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons and 2 horns) which was joined by founder Adrian Spence on flute for the final piece of the evening. The meat of the show featured two Serenades by Mozart which are delightful examples of how he took the form beyond it’s original purpose as mere background music–”entertainments”–for parties and other occasions. His Serenade for Winds in C Minor and E-flat Major are certainly entertaining, but also much more than high brow muzak, and the ensemble gave spirited and nuanced performances.
