‘I was falling in love with chamber music all over again’ - Postcard from Napa Valley

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Music in the Vineyards takes place in the most romantic of settings: nestled in the wine fields of northern California. Since its first season, which comprised just six concerts over three weekends, founding artistic directors Daria Tedeschi Adams and Michael Adams have nurtured and grown their festival to present 41 musicians in 25 concerts, outreach and educational events for its 28th edition. Travelling along the scenic highways of the Napa Valley takes you to the 13 different wineries that host the concerts. This year, the Maxwell, Escher and Telegraph quartets played alongside a flight of established and rising stars. On the weekend I was there, it felt like I was falling in love with chamber music all over again.

I arrived on 10 August to hear the Maxwell Quartet play Haydn’s String Quartet in F major op.77 no.2 at the Hess Persson Estates. The Scottish musicians played with the same kind of electric style and roguish sense of dialogue that they display on their Linn recordings: the big strokes, the gorgeous sounds, the infectious energy and, with occasional added flourishes, the cellist and violist having all sorts of fun. Their dynamic sense was great even if the tempo was too fast, though somehow it perfectly suited this piece with its freshness and toe-tapping good humour. The energy and snap of the Haydn seemed linked to an ensuing engaging folk music segment that included two Shetland reels and a switch of first violinists…