BURLINGAME, CA—-Give an orchestra a physical exam, doctor, and it proves very revealing. An ensemble of San Francisco Symphony players, none of them plucked from the front rows, gave a strong program here at the Kohl Mansion notable for cohesion, dramatic fire, and unassailable tuning, thereby underlining the strong fiber embodied unobtrusively within the ranks of the SFS.

Adding to their challenge March 6 was a slate of obscure pieces by, largely, unheralded composers, spotlighting two black women composers from past and present. The group’s interpretation was closer to fire-and-brimstone than to a relaxed Sunday in the hills by San Francisco. The only real flaw from our view was this no-name string quintet overlooking a golden opportunity to play a small encore of sympathy toward Ukraine, currently invaded and under fire, for the enthusiasts present. The hope is that other concert groups pending bear in mind that for great world tragedies, music has unique eloquence and relevance.

The opening growls of a bass viol announce that this one is no mere string quartet. Not even in his mid-30s, Dvorak wrote a G Major String Quintet, Op. 77—a string quartet, with added bass player—seemingly with Mendelssohn’s Octet still ringing in his ears. The group brought out its sharp accents, tingle and aggressiveness to the core but still managed to show a marvelously fetching and lyrical slow movement foreshadowing the Dvorak we know best in this, the evening’s longest opus at 32 minutes. Having the bass provide the fundamental tones frees up the cello to participate in the give-and-take of counterpoint, interwoven with the treble voices.

The string quintet also tackled the seven-minute high-energy “Strum” by Jessie Montgomery, 40. The players alternate fast pizzicato (i.e., strumming) with bowing in different combinations, playing with abandon, animation and moderate syncopation. It’s an impact piece, easy to listen to.

The recent revival of music by long neglected Florence Price (1887-1953) has culminated in belated recognition of her Symphony No. 3, meriting play here, there, everywhere. Instead, the players at Kohl brought out her exemplary “Five Folksongs in Counterpoint” for string quartet, which would have made an ideal thesis project in grad school composition—a happening, back a century ago, that was next to impossible for any female black composer, with two strikes against her even before submission. Exemplary counterpoint marks her treatment of favorites like “Oh, My Darlin’ Clementine,” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes.” Themes are passed around to all hands, including cello and even the oft unheeded viola in the 19-minute work.

The concert opened with a string sonata of little Rossini, as if trying to prove (in vain) that Rossini, not Mozart, was the truly brilliant 12-year-old composer.

This 39th season of the Music at Kohl chamber series was held in Burlingame’s historic Kohl Mansion, whose Great Hall is majestic enough for a Henry the Eighth, with fireplace big enough to roast a boar, plus very high ceilings—lovely to look at, but preventing a truly warm glow in violins. The performers were, from the top, Polina Sedukh, Jessie Fellows, Matt Young, Barbara Bogatin and Charles Chandler. Earlier on they had headed up a master class for younger string players.

MUSIC AT KOHL MANSION, Burlingame, CA, with a quintet of S.F. Symphony string players March 6, part of the chamber series. For info: (650) 762-1130, or go online: www.musicatkohl.org.

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