Sunday 26th May 2013
Huw Wiggin — Saxophone
Tim Abel — Piano
26th May 2013
Huw Wiggin (Saxophone) and Tim Abel (Piano)
Templewood, Northrepps
Cromer Music Evenings presented two very accomplished performers for the last concert of the 2012/13 series who have performed extensively in the UK and overseas, both graduating from prestigious music colleges and both having performed concerts at sea on Cunard and P&O ships all over the world, including Cunard’s famous Ocean Liner Queen Mary 2.
The chosen programme proved to be a delight and seemed to be prepared to introduce composers, apart from Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin, who were probably unknown to most of the audience. This proved to be so successful as the response to each piece was glorious appreciation in applause.
The well known work Czardas by Vittorio Monti opened the programme, followed by Oblivion, Fugata and Libertango by Astor Piazolla. Then West Side Story Suite by Leonard Bernstein (arr A Brinsford), followed by Scaramouche by Darius Milhaud (the French Composer with whom the great Dave Brubeck studied).
George Gershwin’s Three Preludes (arr by the Russian Shapashnikova) was the first item after the interval - here the 2nd of three was in blues style, slow moving and beautifully phrased with the breath control and tone of the soprano saxophone was so profoundly awe inspiring. The last piece on the programme, The Devil’s Rag by Jean Matitia - here the rapport between the two extremely talented performers was a joy to behold - absolutely brilliant in fact.
To augment the programme, Tim Abel played two piano solos, GriegsWedding Day at Troldhaugen and Death Ray Boogie, the latter bringing spontaneous euphoria to all in the Music Room at Templewood.
Huw Wiggin’s performance of Bernstein’s "There’s a place for us" played with such sensitivity, I am sure stirred emotions with the beautiful tone, dynamic gradations and spell binding long note values which were perfect in intonation, even in the pianissimo passages - a master class in breath control indeed.
The place to be today was Templewood, without doubt!
Terry Keeler
Tel 01263 513273