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The American Classical Orchestra's "Rococo Repast" salon concert at the Metropolitan Club delivered an exquisite evening of period-authentic chamber music that transported audiences directly into the elegant musical salons of 18th-century aristocracy, proving once again that historical performance practice isn't a mere academic exercise—it's sonic time travel.

In the hushed grandeur of the Metropolitan Club's library, where leather-bound volumes line mahogany shelves like silent witnesses to centuries of intellectual discourse, something rather magical unfolded on September 16th. The American Classical Orchestra, under the sagacious guidance of founder and conductor Thomas Crawford, presented "Rococo Repast"—a salon concert that achieved a moment of being where past and present dissolved into pure musical experience.

Thomas Crawford, Founder and Artistic Director of the American Classical Orchestra. Courtesy aconyc.org The Perfect Marriage of Venue and Vision

The choice of venue proved nothing short of inspired. The Metropolitan Club's library, with its soaring ceilings and intimate alcoves, perfectly evoked the palatial music rooms where these works originally bloomed. Founded in 1891 by J.P. Morgan and designed by Stanford White, this architectural jewel on Fifth Avenue provided precisely the sophisticated ambiance that Johann Christian Bach, Michael Haydn, and Mozart would have recognized. Moreover, the acoustic properties of the room—neither too reverberant nor too dry—allowed the subtle timbres of period instruments to speak with crystalline clarity.

Crawford's vision of historical authenticity extends far beyond mere antiquarian interest. As he noted in his characteristically witty pre-concert remarks, the evening represented what I call sophisticated time travel—an opportunity to hear these works as their creators intended, performed on instruments with period-appropriate features that create what scholars of baroque music call an inherently natural blend.

Featured Artists David Dickey (Oboe) and Melanie Williams (Flute), in performance at the American Classical Orchestra's concert Rococo Repast at the Metropolitan Club. Photo of David Dickey by Vlad-Nabat. Photo of Melanie Williams Courtesy aconyc.org A Journey Through the Rococo Transition

The program itself revealed Crawford's deep understanding of this pivotal transitional period between the Baroque and Classical eras. Indeed, the evening's repertoire illuminated what musicologist Harold Schonberg once described as music's capacity to capture "the very essence of an age's aspirations and anxieties."

Johann Christian Bach: Bridging Two Worlds

The opening Johann Christian Bach Quintet in D Major, Op. 22, performed with delightful aplomb, demonstrated precisely why this youngest Bach son was called the "London Bach." The work's galant style, with its elegant melodic lines and sophisticated harmonic progressions, served as a perfect aperture to the evening's exploration. Aisslinn Nosky, whose fearsomely powerful musicianship has earned acclaim, led the ensemble with her characteristic blend of technical precision and interpretive insight. Her violin sang with the kind of warmth that only gut strings and true artistry can provide, creating delighted intones that link the high Baroque to the emerging Classical style.

The quintet's first movement, Allegro, sparkled with conversational interplay between the instruments, while the Andantino revealed the emotional depth that would soon flourish in his brother's symphonic works. David Dickey, principal oboist of Boston Baroque, contributed what Crawford deliciously described as "stentorian" oboe commentary that punctuated the musical discourse with authority and grace. The final Allegro assai bubbled with the kind of effervescent joy that made late 18th-century audiences fall in love with this emerging style.

Johann Christian Bach 1735-1782, portrait painted by Pompeo Girolamo Batoni. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Michael Haydn: The Forgotten Master Revealed

Perhaps the evening's most significant revelation came with Michael Haydn's Quintet in C Major, MH 187—a work that deserves far wider recognition. Too often overshadowed by his illustrious brother Joseph, Michael Haydn's compositional voice emerged here as distinctly individual and compelling. The opening Allegro spiritoso crackled with rhythmic vitality, while the Adagio cantabile showcased the ensemble's capacity for sustained, singing lines that seemed to float in the library's refined atmosphere.

Melanie Williams, performing on her 1828 French period flute, faced the considerable challenge of balancing the instrument's more intimate voice against the string ensemble. Her solution proved masterful, using the flute's inherent woody timbre and gentle breath to create moments of exquisite sonic poetry, particularly in the work's more reflective passages. The Menuetto's courtly elegance gave way to an Allegro molto that demonstrated why Michael Haydn likely influenced Mozart's own development.

Michael Haydn (1737-1806). Lithograph by Franz Eybl (cropped), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Mozart: Wit and Genius Unveiled

The evening's culmination with Mozart's Flute Quartet No. 4 in A Major, K. 298, provided both challenges and rewards in equal measure. Crawford's introductory commentary brilliantly prepared the audience for Mozart's exquisite artistry and sense of humor, particularly evident in Mozart’s playful instructions to the original performers, and the work's lighthearted dialogue between flute and strings.

The opening Andante unfolded like a sophisticated conversation in a drawing room, with Williams's flute offering gentle observations that the strings enthusiastically embraced and elaborated. The Menuetto revealed Mozart's genius for taking conventional forms and infusing them with unexpected harmonic turns and rhythmic surprises. However, it was in the concluding Rondeau: Allegretto that the ensemble's chemistry became most visible and apparent—the kind of musical communication that transcends technical execution to achieve true artistic communion.

Maria Anna (Nannerl), Wolfgang, Anna Maria (medallion) and Leopold Mozart. By Johann Nepomuk della Croce, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The Alchemy of Period Performance

What distinguished this performance from conventional chamber music concerts was the transformative power of period instruments and historically informed performance practice. The gut strings, combined with informed artists and techniques, provided a warmth and resonance that steel strings simply cannot match. At the same time, the timbre of the period flute and oboe created an intimacy that modern instruments often sacrifice for projection. As recent scholarship in classical music performance has demonstrated, these subtle differences in timbre and attack create an entirely different sonic landscape—one that allows audiences to hear familiar works with fresh ears.

The musicians themselves seemed liberated by these period instruments, their natural resonance characteristics encouraging the kind of musical breathing and phrasing that characterized 18th-century performance practice. There were moments—particularly in the slower movements—where time seemed suspended, where the cotton wool of everyday experience dissolved into pure musical consciousness.

Crawford's Pedagogical Mastery

Crawford's decision to have performers demonstrate segments of each work proved remarkably effective, allowing audiences to grasp the intricate relationships between themes, melodic lines, and harmonic progressions. This pedagogical approach reflects the broader educational mission that has earned the ACO recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts and positioned it as New York's leading period instrument orchestra.

The Sublime in the Intimate

What emerged from this evening was proof that chamber music, when performed with such commitment to historical authenticity and musical excellence, can achieve what Leonard Bernstein called "the sublime in the everyday." The library setting, the period instruments, and the musicians' evident passion for this repertoire combined to create an experience that was simultaneously educational and transcendent.

The visible chemistry among the performers evoked the social aspects of 18th-century music-making when chamber music served not merely as entertainment but as a sophisticated discourse among equals. These were not simply virtuosic powerhouses displaying technical prowess, but musical partners engaged in the kind of intimate conversation that chamber music was designed to facilitate.

Poster for the 1960 film The Time Machine by Reynold Brown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons A Testament to Musical Time Travel

As the final notes of Mozart's Rondeau dissolved into the library's reverent silence, one was struck by the evening's deeper achievement. This was more than a concert—it was a demonstration of music's capacity to collapse temporal boundaries, to make the past vividly present through the alchemy of sound. The American Classical Orchestra's commitment to period authenticity serves not merely academic interest, but the profound human need to connect across centuries through shared artistic experiences.

For those who experienced this marvelous evening of superb chamber music, the takeaway was clear: historical performance practice isn't about recreating museum pieces, but about breathing new life into masterworks by performing them as their creators intended. In an age of increasing technological mediation, events like "Rococo Repast" remind us of music's essential humanity—its capacity to create what has been called direct communication from one soul to another.

The American Classical Orchestra's upcoming 2025-26 season promises more such revelations, and if "Rococo Repast" is any indication, audiences are in for a series of transformative musical encounters that honor the past while speaking directly to contemporary sensibilities.

For those inspired to explore the world of period performance and baroque music, the American Classical Orchestra continues its season with equally compelling programs at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and other intimate venues throughout New York City.

The American Classical Orchestra Presents Season 41

Rococo Repast: Where Time Dissolves and Music Transcends

The Program Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782) Quintet in D Major, Op. 22

Allegro Andantino Allegro assai

Michael Haydn (1737–1806): Quintet in C Major, MH 187

Allegro spiritoso Adagio cantabile Menuetto: Allegretto Allegro molto

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791): Flute Quartet No. 4 in A Major, K. 298

Andante Menuetto Rondeau: Allegretto

Featured Artists

Melanie Williams — flute David Dickey — oboe Aisslinn Nosky — violin Theresa Salomon — violin Jessica Troy — viola Nikki Dival — viola Serafim Smigelskiy — cello Dongsok Shin — harpsichord

American Classical Orchestra

PO Box 366 New York NY 10025-0007 Office: (212) 362-2727

For tickets and information, go to https://aconyc.org/.

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