The Lantivet Duo in Chichester

 The Lantivet Duo, Chichester Cathedral, Oct 12th

If one doesn't make the most of days like this, one never will. The gorgeousness of the chill in the autumn air under clear skies is the best the world ever is and is so all too briefly. I set out early to add in a walk along the Chichester Canal before the concert and there I added to my occasional series of photographs that bring to mind lines from poems. This is, There is a willow grows aslant a brook. It's not a willow and it's a canal rather than a brook but it still brought the account of the death of Ophelia to mind.

 

The Lanvinet Duo are Anna Brigham, vln, and Brendan Musk, pno. It was the Mozart on the programme that quite naturally made me book this week's concert, I had no idea what the other music was, but how do events sometimes confound expectations. The Sonata K.526 was broken up by the unheard of pieces. I wasn't convinced that would work, thinking that the sonata should be allowed to develop itself as was presumably intended. As it happened, the exotic variety, the likes of which is unlikely to be repeated in the area this season, made a return to accustomed, reliable Mozart a useful interval between music from India, Cornwall and America. It's not often Mozart is reduced to such status but a reputation like his can stand it.

The Allegro was playful with the violin mostly taking the lead and the piano following it around. If that was what you'd come for, you'd be perfectly happy.  In the middle, the Andante was Mozart in third gear, which is higher than many composers' top gear, of course, but maybe it only seemed like that to me after what we'd been played in between. The Presto, before the programme's finale, had piano and violin fingers dancing and restored any faith that might have been lost before the maestro as warm-up act gave way to a rollicking ending.

 

The pieces in between, though, were what will surely remain in the memory. Sobhillu by Tyagaraja (1767-1847) turned out to be composed Indian classical music rather than the improvisation that many Indian musicians play. Anna's shift into the sliding notes and mysterious world of raga was impressive. I don't know if Paganini even tried that. Brendan's piano was almost a cantus firmus providing the equivalent of the drone accompaniment. It worked hugely well, not least due to the surprise it came as, and was the unlikely highlight for me. It was also a reminder that a return to my discs of Indian music is long overdue. 

Sam Cave's Cornish Folk Songs received their 'live', as in 'not streamed', premiere here and so there's half a chance I'm the first to review them. There are two of them, South Australia making some more use of sliding notes and in the manner of a sea shanty, perhaps, in a contemporary setting but not avant garde. It's good to see young composers no longer feeling themselves needing to continue with the by now tired fixations of what was once 'modern'. I had to go and check on the title of The Mallard, which I didn't catch. I would never have guessed. Beginning with pizzicato violin and maximim sustain on the piano, it went on to explore top notes on both instruments and created an atmosphere of iciness and chill. I might have guessed it was called 'Winter' before it rounded off with smoother bowing and echoes of a celtic lament. (With apologies to the composer and the Lantivets if I've entirely misunderstood it).

Finally, if the joyous Mozart Presto hadn't been enough to send us home happy, Jefferson by Sara Watkins (b. 1981) was bluegrass and a spirited hoedown, which wouldn't be the most complex musical composition in the repertoire, if the repertoire went that far, but that doesn't mean it doesn't take some playing.

I went for the Mozart and came back with so much more. All best wishes to these fine young people offering something genuinely original and exploratory. The Chichester Symphony Orchestra are playing the Haffner Symphony next time I'm there. I'll make it up to Mozart then. He was where I started 50 years ago but one is glad of any number of excursions such as today was, without which we would all be dull.