As usual, the Seattle Chamber Music Society's (SCMS) Summer Festival program is stocked with meat-and-potatoes pieces and intriguing picks. The obligatory composers are all there—Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms—along with Turina, Liszt, Takemitsu, and other lesser-known names.

The first weekend concert (Fri Jul 8) is a sure winner with Schubert's immortal "Trout" Quintet and Ravel's proto-neoclassical String Quartet in F. Ravel's opening pizzicati of the second movement always gives me chills.

If I had to just pick one, I'd bet on Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time (Fri Jul 15), written at a POW camp in 1940 and scored for the unusual combination of clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. A searing performance at the festival several years ago remains burned in my memory. In movements such as "Vocalise, for the Angel who Announces the End of Time," trapped and tortured strings slowly soar ever higher as the piano tolls desolate, doom-laden chords. The unforgettable third movement, "Abyss of the Birds," is a funereal tour de force for solo clarinet.

Also on the bill: Brahms's Quartet for Piano and Strings, op. 60. Brahms once remarked that the first movement is "the expression of a man in utter despair." Despite vast stretches of gloom, both masterpieces exalt the indefatigable human spirit.

Be warned: Whether you get tickets for the performances inside or take the freebie (and depending on the weather, less humid) option of sitting out on the lawn, parking can be a pain. Arrive early or park several blocks away and wear your walking shoes. If you're loath to trek to north Seattle, you can stay home and listen to the live broadcasts on KING 98.1 FM. CHRISTOPHER DeLAURENTI

The Seattle Chamber Music Society's Summer Festival runs through July 29 (Lakeside School, 14050 First Ave NE, 283-8808), 7 pm, $8–$399. Check www.seattlechambermusic.org as musicians and programs are subject to change.