Wednesday 4 June

The new season was launched by young pianists Natalie Molloy and Isobel Richardson. They opened and closed the concert with a duo, to the slight confusion of those with programmes as neither work was listed. The opening was an arrangement for piano duet of a movement from a Mozart Sonata, and the concert closed with a powerful rendition on Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King.

Between these we heard Isobel Richardson play works by Brahms, Schubert and Chopin. It became clear she favoured the heavier romantic music and Brahms’ Rhapsody Op79 No2 was particularly moving.

Natalie has very impressive articulation and demonstrated this with aplomb in works by Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Debussy whose Prelude pour le piano proved to be deft and delicate as well as showing the darker side of Natalie’s playing.

They drew the main part of the concert to a close with two brief but less familiar pieces by Poulenc.

Their solo works were played from memory – an enviable feat but one which can cause the odd slip of fingers or fudge in the harmony of more rapid passages. It was noteworthy that the two duets had no such problems.

Next week Wednesday at 1.10pm Gary Marriott and Duncan Reid.