Ogden chamber festival to feature lots of best hits

Viktor Uzur believes that it's impossible to have too much chamber music.

As a performer, he finds his inspiration in the chamber works of the masters. He loves to play the music, and he wants to share his love for the repertoire with a wide-ranging audience.

That's one of the reasons why Uzur, a cellist and a member of the Weber State University faculty, decided to start a chamber music festival in Ogden last year. Utah doesn't have a dearth of such festivals, but Uzur firmly believes that composers have written some of their greatest works for small ensembles.

Because Utah does have its share of festivals devoted solely to chamber music, a new addition to the list must bring something unique, or at least special. Uzur believes his Bonneville Chamber Music Festival does just that.

"This is a kind of best hits festival," he told the Deseret Morning News in a phone interview. "We're going to have some of the best chamber works written by Beethoven, Brahms and other composers this year."

The six-day festival begins Monday. There will be four concerts spread out during the week. Uzur said he believes a festival such as this needs to have broad appeal and to cater to a large, diverse audience. "There will be something of interest for everyone. I think people will find out that the music is definitely worth coming to Ogden for."

Perhaps the most interesting and unusual concert takes place Friday. Called "From Schubert's 'Trout' to Zeppelin's 'Kashmir,"' the concert will blend classical, pop and folk music into a heady concoction.

"I think this concert will attract all kinds of audiences," Uzur said.

Uzur and guitarist Brad Richter are the connective thread among the pieces on Friday's program. "I've done some classical arrangements that I think stay true to the original," Uzur said. "I arranged some Led Zeppelin for cello and classical guitar that I think works very well."

Also on the program is Schubert's "Trout" Quintet, jazz, Eastern European folk music and original pieces by Uzur and Richter.

Richter has been a frequent guest artist at Weber State and is a close friend and collaborator of Uzur's. "Brad and I have been collaborating in the past few years, and we've developed a repertoire that we've performed nationally," Uzur said.