Musicians show fine rapport

Alnwick Music Society made a fine start to its concert season with a delightful programme of music for cello and piano played by Moray Welsh and Martin Roscoe.

Opening with Beethoven’s 12 variations on See The Conquering Hero Comes from Handel’s Judas Maccabeus, Moray and Martin immediately demonstrated the fine rapport that exists between them.

Schumann’s highly tuneful Five Pieces In Folk-style came next, mixing rustic humour with soulful emotion and robust high spirits in equal measure.

Janacek’s three movement Fairy Tale, based on an epic legend by Russo-Turkish poet Vasily Zhukovsky, is a less familiar work.

However, in the hands of Moray and Martin, who successfully captured the exotic, magical atmosphere of this passionate music, it was clear that this deserves to be much more popular.

Another passionate work, but this time with a Gallic air, was Debussy’s Cello Sonata, originally entitled Pierrot Angry At The Moon, which brought the first half of the programme to a suitable close.

After the interval came the major work of the evening, Brahms’ Cello Sonata no.2, considered by many to be the high point in late 19th century chamber music.

This fine performance lent strength to that argument, with both players making the most of the wide range of moods and beautiful melodies that make this sonata so memorable.

See below for details of the next society concert.