There are all sorts of reasons why we make the effort to go out to concerts. For me, it might be a well-loved piece of music on the programme, or because I really want to hear a particular performer. But it can also be simply for the pleasure of being suspended out of time and out of myself in the presence of something beautiful. It was this expectation that drew me to last night’s MUSICON recital in Durham Cathedral by violinist Fenella Humphreys and pianist Martin Roscoe of music themed around Gabriel Fauré.
Almost everything on the programme was new to me, but I expected Parisian sophistication, subtle elegance and classy charm and that was exactly what Humphreys and Roscoe gave us. Durham Cathedral isn’t exactly the sort of venue that is obviously suited for music of this delicacy but they managed to relish the big acoustic whilst also creating the intimacy of a chamber recital (although I admit that I was very fortunate to end up with a good seat despite the cathedral acting like a train company and removing the previously-sold reservations).
Fauré’s teacher and friend Camille Saint-Saëns opened the concert, with Humphreys and Roscoe blending beautifully as one voice in the dark introduction before flowering into dialogue, Roscoe caressing the piano lines whilst Humphreys sang sweetly above. The allegretto moderato was sunny and relaxed before the whirlwind finale: a perpetual motion violin line, steadied by the gentle ticking of the piano part and a joyful madness at the end. Even in this furiously virtuosic movement, Humphreys retained the sweetness and clarity that characterised her playing all evening.
Two short pieces by Fauré and the delightful ‘Impromptu concertant’ by his student George Enescu rounded off the first half. There was a lovely, free cadenza-like passage for violin in the Op.28 Romance that seemed to disappear almost to nothing with a feeling of sweet release as the piano returned. Martin Roscoe said that the Enescu piece was new to him and their performance had all the freshness of discovery and exploration.
Martin Roscoe slipped so unobtrusively into Lili Boulanger’s ravishing Nocturne to open the second half that for a moment I wondered if he was just giving notes for tuning. There was quiet passion from both musicians, highlighted by sultry but oh so tasteful slides from Humphreys. This was followed by Cortège – a cheeky, flirtatious delight to snap us back into daylight. Humphreys told us that learning Boulanger’s Nocturne for an ABRSM exam was what opened her eyes to the emotional power of music and inspired her to take her violin studies seriously.
Maurice Ravel was probably Fauré’s most famous pupil, represented here by his single movement Sonata posthume. Although most of this programme was a finely balanced conversation between violin and piano, this piece definitely lifted the piano up a notch and my attention was regularly drawn to Roscoe’s shimmering and easy-going playing.
The most substantial piece of the evening closed the recital. Humphreys promised us in her introduction that Fauré’s op.13 violin sonata no.1 would take us through every emotion and she and Roscoe delivered. The first movement felt like an engrossingly intelligent conversation that completely drew me in. It ended with perfect timing on the dot of 9pm so Humphreys and Roscoe allowed the cathedral chime to act as an intermezzo leading into the solemn piano chords that began the andante – one of those precious, unrehearsed moments that make live concerts so special. This second movement was Fauré at his most romantic and the combination of Humphreys’ utterly pure tone and Roscoe’s delicate, muted piano was magical. As they skated through the fun third movement, the two musicians seemed to be competing for who had the lightest touch, Roscoe matching the ping of the pizzicato violin.
Speaking after the Saint-Saëns in the first half, Martin Roscoe suggested that the fireworks of the last movement would have been a good concert ending but personally I wouldn’t have swapped them for the glorious joy of the last movement of the Fauré sonata. This was music where you think your heart might break from simple happiness. It was not to last though: with a wry and knowing apology for ‘what this will do to you’, Humphreys introduced their encore, an achingly beautiful Après un rêve that held everyone in a long silence as we shook off this dream and came back to reality.
MUSICON concert series: Fenella Humpreys and Martin Roscoe, Fauré 100, Tuesday 29 October 2024, Durham Cathedral.
