A more congenial concert than Boston Chamber Music Society 33rd season opener Sunday would be hard to imagine. Not only did it feature the kind of music for which the term “chamber music” seems to have been invented, but it also had the warm, intimate vibe and sonority of old friends gathering for an exquisite evening.

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It hardly needs saying that the musicians of the BCMS are of the highest caliber, but their performance Sunday night was truly outstanding. They played together with ease and musicality, making the works as fresh and compelling as when they were first written.

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The concert opened with Haydn’s Piano Trio in C Major, Hob. XV: 21 featuring Harumi Rhodes on violin, Astrid Schween on cello, and Max Levinson on piano. Haydn must have been a delight to have as a friend. His work is almost universally cheerful, and this piece was no exception. One should not mistake a friendly surface for lack of complexity, though, for that was equally present in the singing lullaby that was the 2nd movement, molto andante. Schween’s particularly smooth and elegant legato was shown to good effect in this work.

September 22, 2015