Hasting Unitarian Meeting Place, Saturday 2 July 2016

A beautiful afternoon for beautiful music. Stephen programme was formed around a number of dance movements and opened with a number of pieces which were written at the same time the Schetzler was built – mid 18^th century. The March from Handel’s Scipio brought us a bright start and was followed by Haydn’s popular Serenade. Bach’s ‘little’ E minor Prelude and Fugue just about fits the instrument with its limited pedal but Stephen is able to convince us with ease of its aptness. More Handel followed with music for Musical Clocks and then the solid warmth of M Greene’s Voluntary VII.

A move to a later century brought S Wesley’s Sonata in Eb before we returned to the early 17^th century for Weckmann’s Praeambulum primi toni a 5. We are celebrating the 400^th anniversary of the composer’s birth this year so it was good to hear his slightly austere writing and the nasal snarl of the Hautbois. By contrast, three dances from the Bauyn manuscript proved more relaxed, before we headed towards the present day with Gael Liardon’s 6 variations on We shall Overcome.  This very apt composition led us into the expected popular conclusion to the afternoon with Gossec’s very popular Tambourin and Charles Williams’ The Devil’s Gallop – better known as the signature tune to Dick Barton, Special Agent for those of us of a certain age!

The next concert is in Hastings Week on Saturday 8 October.