The comparativist

M ost of the «Kell Wind Trio» visited Southport’s Christ Church as part of the Summer Edition of the Midweek Music programme. We say «most» because clarinetist Geoffrey Smith had to be replaced at the last minute, for what I believe were health-related reasons. Their repertoire seemed to be built around composer prodigies: they opened with Mozart’s «Divertimento in B♭ major, K. 270», and proceeded through works by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Dmitri Shostakovich, Madeleine Dring, and Parry Jones.  I particularly enjoyed the Shostakovich «Suite for Wind Trio», whose optimistic, upbeat and quirky lines brought to mind the work of the late Koichi Sugiyama. The concert lasted for about an hour, with an attendance of just over 150; the crowd of Christ Church is always, I find, very connected,  very perceptive to the musicians onstage, but I thought that flutist Alastair Roberts the auditorium was particularly attuned to Mr. Alastair Roberts –who made all the introductions– by ju...