BISHOP-HASTINGS DUO IN CONCERT KIDDERMINSTER LIBRARY JUNE 25th 2010 Are you sitting comfortably?

That was the question that Anne-Marie Hastings asked the audience at the start of the Music From The Gallery concert last Friday night. The reason for this was that she and her fellow pianist Sally Bishop began with Fauré’s Dolly Suite - the signature tune for the old radio programme Listen With Mother.

The whole suite was played with a style and grace befitting its childlike innocence and ended with an exhilarating Spanish Dance. The Sonata for Four Hands by Poulenc that followed could not have been in greater contrast with thrilling dissonances in the opening Prelude combined with a simple Rustique and an excitingly intense Finale.

To end the first half they conjured up grand visions of Spain – with the warm evening we could have been there – in a sparkling performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. The opening Alborada and Variations contained suggestion of Carmen and Malaguena while the very familiar melody of the Scena was introduced quietly with a rumbling bass line. It wasn’t long before the air was filled with swirling rhythms and you could almost see the Spanish dancers.

To calm things down, the second half began with in more sombre mood with three short works by Rachmaninov. It opened with a Barcarolle (a Venetian boating Song) with swaying rhythms accompanying a lyrical theme that built to a climax with swirling figures. The Russian Song was a set of variations on an unidentified theme although there are overtones of the Volga Boat Song. The final piece, Slava is based on a Russian liturgical chant and ended in a thunderous climax.

We returned to a dance theme with two excerpts from The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. First we had the Sugar Plum Fairy in less familiar guise (we normally hear the tune played on the celesta) and this was followed by the very popular Trepak conjuring up images of Russian Cossacks pirouetting madly as the pianists’ fingers raced to the finish in a blur.

The climax of the evening was again by Tchaikovsky – his ever popular Capriccio Italien. Starting with the trumpet fanfare it quickly developed into a slightly serious melody before we heard the familiar tune introduced quietly. This soon took wing and the infectious mood had the audience swaying in time to the music before the final frenetic tarantella brought the work to a thrilling finish.

The whole evening was a joyous occasion best described as music with a smile. The two young ladies were in top form and it was good to see them introducing each item. They have a lively musicality and their excellent technique is bolstered by a spontaneous rapport. Their music was built on a precise rhythmic intensity that still allowed subtle variations. Watching them cross hands and seamlessly pick up runs was quite mesmeric.

This was just the second in the new Music From The Gallery series and on this showing it augurs well for the remaining concerts.

For details visit website www.ClassicalMusicKidderminster.org.uk