The prospects of the Labor Day holiday weekend always bode well for the Idyllwild area, regardless of ever-changing weather patterns and the ever-increasing plethora of yard sales and other outdoor activities. To this mixture of community togetherness, the joint coordinators of the Manhattan Chamber Players, Luke Fleming and Brendan Speltz, both dedicated musicians as well as advocates of Hill-based living, joined with their select cohorts to bring together three varied programs in the second season of the Lily Rock Chamber Music Festival. As much as it was anticipated from the group’s presentations of last year, a different sort of performance species was indicated from the start of the proceedings, and in its realization more than effective.

Perhaps a bit of background information in advance of the first days of September would have resulted in a better audience turnout. However, in view of the eminent musical scholar Percy Alfred Scholes’ statement that “chamber music is not entertainment for crowds,” to deliver a pleasant evening (or afternoon) of music designed for lightweight public approbation is no small undertaking, and as previously, Messrs. Fleming and Speltz proved equal to the task.

The opening Friday evening at Lowman Concert Hall started with one of the choicest bits of the string quartet repertoire, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Dissonant Quartet” K. 485 (one of the set of six quartets dedicated to Haydn). Deriving its sobriquet from the unorthodox initial measures, it soon came to be solidly based in a major mode that all the performers exploited to the fullest extent, not only in the first movement, but particularly in the “Andante cantabile” and the final “Allegro molto,” both demonstrating the composer’s dramatic and quasi-operatic styles to the listeners — one would think even Franz Joseph himself would have been impressed in the ensemble’s presentation.

Following some well-deserved applause, violinist Brendan Speltz and cellist Brook Speltz essayed Maurice Ravel’s difficult and not often heard “Duo Sonata,” in which the composer’s less impressionistic tendencies were brought to the fore in a tight, concentrated effort that resulted in a reaffirming judgment of the work as both a technical workout and a virtuoso showpiece, particularly in the last of its four movements.

Following a short break, and further expository statements from co-coordinator Fleming, the “Piano Quintet, Opus 57” of Dmitri Shostakovich was played, with associated pianist Dominic Cheli sounding the dramatic opening bars, as well as the fugal theme of the second movement in an appropriate manner. The remaining three movements of the piece gave out the composer’s characteristic mixture of comic irony and grim terror, not surprisingly since the work issued from the initial phase of the Second World War and the Hitler-Stalin pact. The players certainly conveyed all of the work’s mixed emotions with an inspired vigor, and the concluding movement was received enthusiastically.

A somewhat more varied program ensued the following Saturday evening (again in the sonorous confines of the Lowman auditorium) with the playing of Richard Strauss’ “Sextet” from his final opera “Capriccio.” Intended as a romantic offering for the opera’s heroine, the composer drew on primal motivic impulses from his previous works in the genre, along with subtle references to his tone poems (this listener caught bits of “Ein Heldenleben” and the “Symphonia Domestica” as well as “Don Juan” in the interspersal of string tones) in a genial summation of early 20th century tonalities in a scaled-down context, suitable for the transmission of inherent heartfelt ensemble playing.

The remainder of Saturday’s program featured more virtuosity from Mr. Cheli, in two movements of the “Suite for Solo Piano for the Left Hand” by the tragically fated Erwin Schluhoff, and the pianist’s own arrangement/condensation of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Much Ado About Nothing” solo piano suite. The former work featuring sparkling keyboard effects one generally associates with two-handed pianists (particularly in the “Zingara” movement); the latter being a compact version of the Shakespeare’s drama, combining brisk joviality and misallied romance with more than a tinge of Korngold’s later “Old Hollywood” style. Mr. Cheli also availed himself brilliantly in the concluding presentation of Antonin Dvorak’s “Piano Quintet in A Major, Opus 81,” with the outer movements bringing out the late 19th century tradition, and the innernost two movements reflecting the nationalistic Central European dance rhythms, with the string ensemble’s bolstering provision of supporting harmonies, and once more, a grateful audience applauded.

Sunday afternoon’s proceedings, in the outdoor setting of St. Hugh’s Episcopal Church’s courtyard, featured only two items, but both were major compositorial efforts that required the utmost care and attention of both players and auditors. The open-air event was somewhat crowded (pace Dr. Scholes), but the atmosphere was as inspiring as the musical presentation.

The four movements of Mozart’s “String Quintet in G Minor” (K. 516) achieved its proper solemnity in the ambient of the church’s proximity, and without it being overly somber, it evoked the circumstances of its composition during Mozart’s father’s final illness. The work’s inner movements (a somewhat dampened minuet and trio, and a more spiritual slow movement) received the proper respects from the players, and the finale brought together a conclusive hope and resolve, with the major mode predominating.

A short interval followed, and then the performers gave out an even-tempered and energetic rendition of Johannes Brahms’ “String Sextet in G Major, Opus 36,” that emphasized the composer’s transition from his early piano pieces to his maturer works, as Brahms became more of a master of contrapuntal writing. Again, the ensemble’s expert coordination was most evident in the outer two movements, but the contrasting sections of the scherzo received the proper attention to tempo as well as a harmonious blend of sound (most notable in this setting). The final movement was equally propulsive, and the attendees gave out a distinctly well deserved approbation.

Once again, this reviewer wishes to congratulate all participants — violinist Grace Park, violists Connie Kupka and Kai Potts-Smith, and cellist David Speltz, as well as the aforementioned principal players, and one should further encourage the community’s support of their prospective projects in its planning of a third Lily Rock Chamber Music Festival for next year’s late summer season.