St John the Evangelist, Hollington, Tuesday 23 April 2019

It is not often one comes across a harp concert these days, and a concert for two harps is even rarer. All the more welcome, then, were Adel and Karina Wilson – 2 of Harps – who presented an engaging programme for St George’s Day

They played arrangements of familiar music, most successful when the music itself needed a wide range of sound. The three pieces by Ludovico Einaudi – I Giorni, Discovery at Night, Nuvole Bianche  – were particularly effective and mellifluous. Equally telling were their own compositions. Always¸ written as a wedding song is warmly touching and Your Heart Steadies Me, based on Hebridian work songs, brought the afternoon to a fitting close. Their encore returned to Lloyd Webber with Pie Jesu.

While we could have done with more instrumental items, and possibly some more developed musical pieces given the quality of musicality they produced, the problems with the amplification did not help their voices. Where quieter tones were effective, louder passages turned shrill and confused, with the text disappearing all together. This was a pity as it undermined the quality of so much of the programme. They hope to return and when they do it will be good, hopefully,  to hear more of their sensitive and engaging playing.