Stephen Page at St John the Evangelist, Hollington

Saturday 19 October 2019

Stephen Page mixed a range of very familiar pieces with a few unexpected items in his Hastings Week concert. He opened with Arthur Wills’ Procession with all its flare and excitement but moved smoothly on to John Ireland’s beautiful miniature Minuet from the Downland Suite. It is always good to hear pieces from the Robertsbridge Codex, and the Estampie manages to delight and challenge in equal measure.

Pairing Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre with Sweelinck’s Mein junges Leben hat ein End was unusual and effective before the more obvious linkage of three works for Musical Clock, which allowed us to hear some of the clear upper voices of the instrument.

Two more liturgical pieces followed, Bach’s Jesus, meine Zuversicht and Tom McLelland-Young’s reflective O Lux beata Trinitas.

As is his regular custom, Stephen concluded with two popular pieces, Frederick Curzon’s The Boulevardier and Coates’ Knightsbridge March. The encore was, inevitably, Blaze Away!!