Weymouth Sunday Concert

Antara Duo

The Antara Duo comprises Thomas Hancox – flute and Rachel Wick – harp. They met while studying at St. Peter’s College, Oxford.

On an overcast Sunday afternoon we were quickly transported to the glorious sunshine of Argentina and were wonderfully entertained by the music of Astor Piazzolla in two movements from his Histoire du Tango.

The frivolity and fun of the Bordel was balanced with the sultry atmosphere of the Cafe. Hendrik Andriessen is a less well known Dutch composer and organist and his Intermezzo made use of the lower strings of the harp and the soaring flute to create great space and resonance.

This was both contemplative and ethereal. This atmosphere was continued in a very sensitive rendition of the flute solo Syrinx. The depth of tone in the lower octave of the flute was very evocative and the audience was spellbound. The Sonata by Arnold Bax was beautifully played and conveyed a multitude of colours and moods.

The interval was followed by two pieces by French composers. Jean-Michel Damase is well known to flautists and his Variations on Early Morning used the full range of both instruments to great effect. The tune of Early one Morning was heard at the beginning but never returned. The harp part was very busy and this may be because Damase was the son of a harpist! Une Châtelaine en sa Tour by Gabriel Fauré is a short harp solo which was well received. King Herla by Robert Saxton was written especially for the Antara Duo and was premièred earlier this year. It used alto flute, concert flute and piccolo to depict different periods of time and characters. This piece needed a strong imagination and probably required several more opportunities to hear it before an opinion could be reached. The finale was the Fantasie on themes from Carmen by François Borne which is always a showstopper and this was no exception. The flute playing was exceptional with excellent technique and great control in all the virtuosic passages and was ably supported by the harp accompaniment.

*The next Sunday Concert is the unusual combination of violin and guitar on 29th November, 3pm at Weymouth Bay Church.

SANDY EASTON