When husband and wife clarinetist Richard Stoltzman and violinist Lucy Chapman Stoltzman performed on a Chamber Music Chicago program of frivolous Keith Jarrett chamber music in 1987 (that turned out to be largely an ego trip for Jarrett), an otherwise unbearable evening was made tolerable by the couple’s musical sensitivity. The extraordinary team has been asked back, this time to perform with gifted pianist Richard Goode material worthy of each of their talents. Particularly noteworthy is the Bartok Contrasts for clarinet, violin, and piano, a work originally commissioned by Benny Goodman that’s often performed yet seldom given its due because of its extreme difficulty. The piece should be well served here. This unusually innovative program also features transcriptions of songs by Charles Ives for clarinet and piano, a clarinet, piano, and violin arrangement from Stravinsky’s Agon, a Beethoven sonata for violin and piano, and the world premiere of Mel Powell’s Madrigal, cocommissioned by CMC for the group’s 30th-anniversary concert series. Monday, 8 PM, Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan; 242-6237, 663-1628, or 435-8122.
