Speranza ft. Eunice Pike in Gosport

Speranza with Eunice Pike, Holy Trinity, Gosport, May 1

There was some possibility of taking a walk today even though it was raining a little bit and so I walked to the Gosport ferry and on to Holy Trinity Church to add a further venue to my local circuit. It wasn't at all difficult and facilitated views of two aircraft carriers in the harbour along the way.

The first item on the programme was an involving tale told by Sue describing how the concert arrived at its eventual programme, a roller-coaster story of musicians laid low and repertoire made to fit the revised personnel. I have a lot of time for both Dvořák and Fauré who had come and gone from the plan but I have all the time in the world for Mozart and Handel and so felt more than adequately compensated for any collateral loss.

Next came the Mozart String Quartet in E flat, K. 428 with Speranza playing a slick passing game as the theme of the buoyant Allegro moved from one instrument to the next, Wendy Lowe's cello was the main feature of a gorgeous, wistful Andante before Cathy Mathews, back from illness and straight into fine form, led a gallant Minuet and Trio before the Allegro vivace gambolled cheerily towards the enthusiastic applause. It's been a few weeks since the last concert, given that churches and cathedrals have been taken up with religious festivals and for a moment or two I felt out of practice but it was very soon great to be back.

Cathy withdrew and was replaced by Eunice Pike on piano continuo for Handel's Trio Sonata no. 8 played right in front of the organ Handel himself had played in London before it was sold off to Gosport.

As we are led to understand from contemporary reports, Georg Friedrich was not someone to contradict and his music allows no gainsaying either. It was he, not Shakespeare, that never blotted a line. The second movement was despatched with some gusto by Sue and Janis, who had moved from viola to violin with some panache. The third could have been used as an aria in later choral world if the maestro had seen fit before the finale could have been mistakenly attributed to Vivaldi did we not know better because although Handel was born in Germany and became one of England's greatest national treasures, he's really an Italian composer. (Discuss)

Eunice took the lead in the merry finale, the Rondo from Mozart's Piano Quartet in G, K. 478, which is a concerto in miniature with vln, vla and cello in the role of orchestra. She delivered all Mozart's charm and wit with fluent trills, runs and playful patterns to complete a set that had only been finalised at 1.30 before its 3.30 start to completely captivating effect.

I don't know why Gosport, being the other side of some water, had seemed so far away but it repaid the walk in gentle rain at colossal odds and uncountable profit. There was nowhere I'd rather have been. Speranza and Eunice provided exactly the concert I needed in these despairing times, being reminded that humanity has a wonderful upside both in the scintillating truth and beauty of Mozart and Handel and the happy situation that down here, within the immediate orbit of Portsmouth, we are rich in talented musicians glad to play it for us.

It's a wonderful thing.