Corsham Festival: London Sinfonietta

12:28pm Tuesday 1st July 2008

London Sinfonietta's concert was more like being invited into their drawing room while they discussed their approach to various pieces and got into the mind of the composer.

And how many similar events would have the temerity to invite questions?

All of which heightened the enjoyment, made understanding the music easier and, possibly most importantly, broke down the normal barriers between performers and audience.

The line-up of viola, flute and harp with the piano of John Constable for solo items, is not a conventional one (it is Corsham Festival, after all) but, somewhat rare these days, threw up the viola as a solo instrument. And, nurtured by Roger Chase, it was a highly poignant exposure.

Toru Takemitsu's natural, almost organic And Then I Knew it was Wind, for flute, harp and viola, brought techniques and sounds of Japan that revealed the hidden sides of the instruments, not the squawky plink-plonks but beautiful extensions of normal expectations.

But, for fear the purists might feel neglected, Britten's Lachrymae for viola and piano and, finally, Debussy's Sonata for flute, viola and harp, laid bare the earthy beauty of the viola and the piquancy of Karen Jones's flute.

Reg Burnard

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