Lunchtime Music

Jun Sasaki and James Sherlock, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, July 5; Graham Davies, Portsmouth Cathedral, July 4.

Jun Sasaki played the second Bach Cello Suite in St. Martin-in-the Fields at lunchtime. These free concerts, with a donation suggested, are always well attended and especially tremendous value in the cool and calm of the church while Trafalgar Square gets busier and warmer outside. Born in 1989, one is immediately staggered at how young people are these days but his playing was thoughtful and of superb technique.
Bach's immense common sense is nowhere more evident than in the Cello Suites in which one is convinced that something is being explained with great authority but also the right amount of patience and understanding.
Jun's third movement here, the Courante sounded very quick to me - I'll have to check how Casals did it - but it was not to the detriment of any clarity or tone. These are primarily dances after all and the Gigue at the end went to the lower strings with some dexterity, too. The applause seemed to reflect a genuine appreciation of some fine musicianship.
James Sherlock joined on the Steinway to give Mendelssohn's Sonata no. 2, Op. 58. Mendelssohn always seems to me the forgotten man among the Premiership of composers, perhaps due to some perception of lightweight about what is more properly 'lightness of touch'. It's a perception I'm happy to keep on arguing against.
The first movement had piano and cello sharing and sharing alike in conversation and summery motifs; in the second the cello was played both pizzicato and in more extended, lyrical bowed themes. After the stately chorale of the Adagio that owed much to Mendelssohn's admiration of Bach, the final movement put in a sustained turn of foot to scamper away to the winning post with piano passages twinkling not unlike those of a Mozart concerto.
These are two young musicians whose futures are surely very bright.

Mendelssohn had opened yesterday's organ recital in Portsmouth Cathedral with Graham Davies visiting from Farnham. This sonata was an attractive, bright beginning to a programme that gladly had the master, Buxtehude's, Preludium in D as its centrepiece because I'm always grateful for as much Buxtehude as I can get.
Graham used several of the stops on the Portsmouth organ for muted, trumpet or full effect but I won't be in any hurry to revisit the music of Vierne and one was grateful that only three of the 24 Pieces in Style Libre were offered. I spent 10 minutes wondering why anyone had found it necessary to compose this music but I dare say the same will be thought by some of my next booklet of poems. But a lunchtime recital is very much the thing during a week off work, not only a fine use for a church in the daytime but excellent opportunities for musicians to play in them.

The season in Portsmouth resumes on September 12th. I think St. Martin's is perpetual and has been for 60 years.