Though from before the start of the musical afternoon a solemn note reverberated through the hall as we were informed of Ms. Angela Thompson’s passing; Mr. Simon Barker recalled in his opening remarks that it was because of Ms. Thompson’s initiative that Christ Church started organising these concerts in 1995. Hopefully her family will find a modicum of solace in this enduring musical legacy.
If one piece played today showcased best the varied emotional range of the bassoon in a wide range of tempi it would be Camille Saint-Saëns’ «Bassoon sonata (op. 168)», the last piece played today, where I thought Mr. Bizzotto was at his best in an already very highly-maintained standard.
Piano prodigy Saint-Saëns becomes one of the most played composers at this year’s Midweek Music, too; the Frenchman’s compositions were previously used by Barry Lo & Li Chichi, and Maya Tucker & Xingtong Ma, making Saint-Saëns a go-to for all duets at Christ Church.
Ms. Sun did great honours to Saint-Saëns herself, too, as all through today’s concert her soft style proved to be the perfect accompaniment to Mr. Bizzotto’s bassoon.