David Alexander at Chichester

David Alexander, Chichester Cathedral, May 27

The Chichester Cathedral lunchtime programme always diligently advises us to recycle it. I always defy the guidance and keep them for posterity, though. Thus today's edition is no. 61 of an archive that goes back to 2021 with earlier items likely to be unearthed on a later archaeological dig. Thus it is that I know I've heard David Alexander there before but not necessarily the Schubert Sonata, D. 784. 

D. 784 takes a slow march out of its sepulchral opening and is then haltingly lyrical in its Andante with the Allegro vivace full of urgent, mazy runs with intervals of relaxed song. One can usually feels pangs of doubt in Schubert and David, starting with his main feature, delivered all of its nuance and subtlety.

The vestiges or echoes of moonlight were all ethereal in Debussy's La Terrasse des audiences du clair de lune as a precursor to the real thing in the very famous Clair de lune that lingered over its lingering to much audience appreciation because we like what we know and feel comfortable playing at home.

Circumstances find me in an involuntary Chopin fest and nobody could object to such a thing. The Barcarolle, op. 60, strove to raise itself upwards, it seemed, but was apparently held down by gravity or the weight of its thoughts but eventually found release and took flight as then did we.

Some performers like to say a few words, some say more than others and it can often be informative and save me some homework. The microphone had a day off today, though, as David Alexander let the music speak for itself and of course, it did.