Gavin Stevens at Lunchtime Live!

 Gavin Stevens, Portsmouth Cathedral, Sept 11

It's never less than 'interesting' to hear a musician playing their own compositions, good, bad or indifferent. After all the shock and innovation of C20th music, where are we now, what is there left to do. Maybe keep calm and carry on.

Gavin Stevens is a composer and pianist, perhaps in that order, and his Little Suite, from 1976 when he was 14 is light years ahead of any literary achievement I'd arrived at by then. Short, almost to the point of being abrupt at times, they had a hint of impertinence, an impressive if loose relationship with Shostakovich and a cosy Reverie.

But that proved to be by way of introduction to his Sonata no. 4, from 2017. The first movement was half a beat ahead of what I'd call Andante, had a sense of tintinnabuli to it and, paradoxically, might be described as 'compounded minimalism' but made great sense- which is what one most wants from music. And led us disarmed into the spellbinding Largo, which might equally be 'lento', that took place towards the top end of the keyboard and brought to mind Arvo Pärt, most specifically in Spiegel im Spiegel, and there's not much higher praise for any such music than that. The Tempo di valzer Viennese was somewhat more assertive, the sonata being in memory of Gavin's father, and the Moderato ending was a flowing re-make of themes from the second movement. Deeply impressive. The sonata form seems to be in safe hands in the Brighton area.

Gavin's music deliberately references certain composers but it's entirely up to you what else you find in it. I once thought I'd found quotes from Demis Roussos in Errollyn Wallen's Cello Concerto and it's not for her to say I didn't. One is never too far away from something a bit 'jazz' in Gavin Stevens, though, and Scott Joplin is clearly a hero for him who ended with Bethena: a concert waltz, which had some jaunt about it but, being in memory of his much-loved second wife, not as much as The Chrysanthemum, written for her soon after they first met.

That was a great re-start to the Lunchtime Live! series. It helps the box office when the artist brings their own fan club but it's not always that the encore is the most-performed song of all time, Happy Birthday to You, mark the occasion of their 90 year old mother-in-law.

He'll be welcome back in Portsmouth any time and, gladly, he is due back in the New Year. Hopefully with at least one more of the other sonatas.