University of Surrey's first visit of the season was on Sunday afternoon 10th. February at 3pm. when their "Instrumental Music Showcase" revealed a long programme of a dozen items. True to form, this provides a platform for their young music students in various study years, to perform in public at a venue apart from the university studio.

Although starting off rather hurriedly, the first movement of J.S.Bach's A minor violin concerto BWV 1041 proceeded at a steady and well controlled pace with piano accompaniment by Dr Maureen Galea who pursued this admirable task for the majority of the players. Occasional lapses in violin intonation, and balance in favour of the piano rather spoiled the general effect and one wonders if using the half stick to support the piano lid rather than being fully raised, would be better when used in an accompanying role.

Three singers were included in the programme, the first, soprano, singing Purcell, Handel, and Poulenc with a clear pleasing voice and with good intonation, the second, a baritone, bravely singing part of Wagner's "Tannhauser" very well and the third, another soprano offering, very competently, Fauré and Debussy, the latter's "Mandoline" being particularly polished.

Two clarinetists performed either side of the interval, the first with a competent rendering of part of Stanford's "Three Intermezzi" with a very pleasing tone and phrasing, and the second, a girl student whose name and appearance betrayed an Eastern hemispheric background, produced a natural musician's superb performance of two thirds of Schumann's "Fantasy Pieces". It is amazing how people from this part of the world are uniformly very, very good. (at most things!!)

One solo pianist played the Beethoven Sonata Op.10 No.1 with perhaps too much use of the sustaining pedal resulting in lack of clarity and a forced tone. Sometimes too little pedal is better than the opposite, and practising, as against performing such music without any at all, is often a good idea.

An unusual arrangement of Piazzolla's "Libertango" with a guitarist taking the lead instead of a pianist, and of course no dancing, was accompanied by a string trio consisting of violin, viola and cello. The guitarist held his ground nicely and the overall balance was good and certainly different from other ensembles and it was a pity it being of rather short duration.

Another "first" if my memory is correct, was a solo marimba player performing a piece called "Rain Dance" written in !988. Very skilful playing with a great flexible technique dealing with contra rhythms and tonal control, was rewarded with well deserved applause.

The guitarist who played in the Piazzolla ensemble gave a good rendering of the first prelude of Villa-Lobos with a nice if perhaps a little too quiet melody line against his very fluid and articulate accompaniment. Classical guitar is a very demanding mistress requiring much practise and perseverance.

The penultimate item on the programme proved to be an astoundingly confident and polished performance by a violinist partnered by a lady pianist of great ability, of the gypsy based dance "Tzigane" by Ravel. Written in 1924 in homage to the great niece of the fabulous virtuoso violinist Joseph Joachim. It is a piece of great difficulty requiring a transcendental technique to bring off. This, this young man did with aplomb, and he was rightly rewarded by sustained applause for his glittering ability. His very able pianist had previously accompanied the performer who sang Wagner.

Apparently there are several Barber Shop groups at the University and the one which closed this concert succeeded in "bringing the house down" with their rendering of Raffi Cavoukian's "Bananaphone" and Greg Camp's "All Star". Tremendous fun to hear and to be able to blend so well together, these four young men provided a great finish to another offering from our local centre of excellence, and we look forward greatly to the visit by their choir on the forthcoming 10th. March.

P.B.