REVIEW: Recital duo serve strong King’s Lynn Festival coffee concert

The King’s Lynn Festival continues to hold first class Coffee Concerts, usually at King’s Lynn’s historic Town Hall, and certainly the latest recital given by young and gifted musicians: Jamal Aliyev (Cello), and Daniel Evans (Piano), was artistically in the highest league.

Both musicians have fine careers ahead, both perform regularly, record, and have won numerous music competitions. Daniel also composes and both have been involved in several broadcasts on national radio.

The recital consisted of two works: Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata, D.821 in A minor and Chopin’s Cello Sonata in G minor, Op.65, both favourites of mine and masterpieces in their own way. I certainly disagree strongly with the concert programme notes stating the Schubert piece ‘contains no depth of thought’! It was written for the Arpeggione, invented in 1823 by Johann Georg Stauffer, and it was a six-stringed, fretted instrument, shaped like a guitar, held between the knees and bowed like a cello. Its use did not seem to last long!

Both the Schubert and gloriously romantic Chopin Sonata (with a beautiful Largo third movement), were given appropriately passionate but brilliant and tender performances when the music warranted it. A lighter touch was also added to the mix occasionally when required! Let’s hope we see and hear more of these highly talented musicians. The Festival Coffee Concerts certainly go from strength to strength!

A delightful Tchaikovsky piece, his Nocturne in D Minor was added as an enjoyable encore.’

Andy Tyler.