Chamber Music Society Presents "Classical Flowering" Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center From left, Romie de Guise-Langlois, Tara Helen O'Connor and Stephen Taylor at Alice Tully Hall. In the program notes for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's concert on Sunday afternoon at Alice Tully Hall, the Adagio of Spohr's Grand Nonetto in F is described as "beautiful and attractive without stirring any deep emotions." That observation could easily have been applied to all the genial works in this lineup of cocktail party pleasantries. Surface beauty has its appeal, of course, but a program without some underlying emotive substance is rarely satisfying. Called "Classical Flowering," it featured pieces from the early 19th century that explored new ground in instrumentation and style. Spohr wrote his Nonetto for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello and bass in 1813 for Johann von Tost, an arts patron who requested that specific combination of instruments and stipulated that, as a benefactor, he had to be present at each performance. Spohr's innocuous, long-winded chamber symphony, in which each instrument is given an opportunity to shine, was performed after Schubert's short, sunny String Trio in B flat (D. 471), well played by the violinist Elmar Oliveira, the violist Cynthia Phelps and the cellist Nicholas Canellakis. The program concluded with Beethoven's Septet in E flat for winds and strings, a popular work during the composer's lifetime, frequently performed at salons and marketed in versions for piano, string quartet and guitar duet. A lighthearted, chipper serenade lasting some 40 minutes and probably modeled on Mozart's Divertimento in D (K. 334), the six-movement Septet opens with a slow introduction and includes a set of variations. The performance showcased some of the performers to fine effect, including the excellent clarinetist Romie de Guise-Langlois, although, over all, the ensemble work was marred by messy violin playing. As with the Spohr, in a much smaller dose, the pretty, decorative surfaces of the Septet could be admired and enjoyed. After 40 minutes of chitchat, however, a listener yearns for something a little more profound.