on 5 January 2024

Photographs by David Hogg of Horizon Imaging.

The first auspicious recital of 2024 was a tremendously joyful affair by violinist Chloë Hanslip and pianist Danny Driver. The extraordinary bond between the duo meant much more than beautiful playing – their impeccable timing, spot-on response to each other, interpretation to read subtle nuances, and ability to negotiate phrasing and volume, were all much more than what they have acquired during the years of playing together. Rather, it seemed they agreed on every instinctive level, naturally and without effort.

The recital was triumphant all around, but if someone forced me to pick a favourite piece, it would be Stravinsky’s Divertimento. It provided acute, impulsive excitement, full of hustle-bustle movements and fragments – the music directly touched our senses and pushed our imagination to the full.  Chloë’s playing was convincingly individual and unapologetically free-spirited. Technical challenges weren’t the slightest problem for her, she negotiated them casually. Danny’s precise phrasing, with lovely warm tones, intertwined with Chloë’s part. To me, a most delightful moment came in Pas de Deux, when the luscious melody was played, starting on the lowest string in an almost seductive way while the piano part innocently danced around it. It really was a tremendous joy. This was preceded by Bach’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in E, which offered pure and simple calmness, marking a stark contrast.

Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Part has been used in countless films and TV dramas, and I have heard it many times on recordings, but this was the first time I’d heard it live. Danny described this piece as being against the complexity of the modern world and said that it was brave that the composer wrote it as actual music. I thought it was braver to perform it! It was a hauntingly transfixing experience and certainly another highlight of the evening.

Another stark contrast followed with Ravel’s sonata Blues. It was quirky, jazzy and exotic, and the duo certainly was in the groove. To wrap up the evening, they played an encore Un poco triste by Joseph Suk. Utterly beautiful and sorrowful, a complete change of mood again, but I think the audience returned home feeling happy rather than ‘triste’!