Chameleon Arts Ensemble: melodies, at distance heard

Chameleon Arts Enemble's first concerts of 2014 explore how composers look to the past to create a vibrant, ever-evolving musical present. Beethoven uses Handel’s oratorio Judas Maccabaeus as the source for his early Variations for cello & piano; Benjamin Britten revives the Elizabethan world with his Lachrymae, Reflections on a Song of Dowland for viola & piano; and Saint-Saëns looks to Beethoven as the inspiration for his fiery Violin Sonata No. 1 in d minor, Op. 75. Also on the program are works by two of today’s most arresting voices: Philippe Hersant’s Piano Trio: Variations sur la Sonnerie à Ste Geneviève du Mont de Marin Marais and Judith Shatin’s Ockeghem Variations for woodwind quintet and piano.

Tickets are $45, $35 or $25 with $5 off for students and seniors.

For tickets or more information, visit http://www.chameleonarts.org or call 617-427-8200.