The last piano/flute duo I can recollect was Nalni Chen and Isabeau Hansen, back in December 2024; they played, then, a little Ian Clarke, a brilliant British composer who was also heard today with «Deep blue» and «Sunday morning», though today the highlight was Gershwin’s «Rhapsody in blue», which received a fantastic piano solo arrangement that was so well thought out you could have been fooled into believing this was the intended listening experience.
It’s refreshing to have full pieces (in lieu of Internet-suited fragments of pieces – pieces without middles or endings), and musical pieces that combine with thematic clarity, like the «Six distractions for piano» composed by Nigel Reeve around the theme of spaces between notes. While the most originally named surely was «Lullaby on the notes B A B E & D A D», I was fascinated by both «‘Jack Tar’ dance» and «Soft-shoe routine», which were elaborated showcasing seconds & fourths, the former, and diminished fifths, the latter. I noticed that these two pieces made the audience, which was of about 175, giggle in mirth: a rather difficult feat to achieve, especially twice in a row!
Christ Church regularly holds concerts on Wednesdays, all of them announced with more than twenty-four hours’ notice; for instance, pianist Yi Sun will be there next week.
Original-date: 23 of September