Of course, the musicians must deal with the shifting of the barge, which rocks gently up and down every time a ferry, tugboat or cargo ship passes by. But it doesn't matter. Ms. Bloom thinks that a little sense of danger makes the atmosphere more romantic and helps the audience pay attention. The musicians take risks not just in interpretations but in programming, which is adventurous. A program on Sunday afternoon at 4 will present the fine Hungarian pianist Peter Nagy in a recital of works by Messiaen, Bartok and Schubert.
Programs frequently mix the old and the new in enticing ways.
But even standard repertory programs, like Sunday's all-Schubert concert, are freshly thought out. New musicians keep getting drawn into the Bargemusic circle. Change is coming to the Bargemusic schedule in January. Ms. Bloom's board has just given her the go-ahead to offer regular concerts on Saturday evenings. The idea would be to have one program played on Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons, and another on Friday and Saturday nights.