Hathor Duo after their performance for NADSA Concerts with sponsors, members of the Torbay Recorded Music Society
The Nadsa concert season was joyfully opened by the Hathor Duo, a young, exuberant combination of flautist Meera Maharaj and harpist Lucy Nolan. No strangers to some of the most famous concert halls of the UK, they quickly developed a rapport with us.
The first number is somewhat controversial piece, being attributed to Bach, but which Bach, and more than that, was it composed for harpsichord and violin, or flute? Whatever its origins Bach’s Sonata in G minor BWV1020 proved a delightful concert opener. The mellow sustained tones of the harp, so different from a harpsichord, were complimented by the similarly mellow flute in the spirited and flowing first movement. The adagio was gentler, with Meera’s beautifully developed sustained flute notes; and, in the final lively allegro, repeated flute notes were superbly differentiated. This was a very different performance from any that either Bach could have heard [the Orchestral harp not having been developed until the 19th Century]. I suspect they would have been delighted.
We were introduced to the next composer ‘Saint-Georges’ both in programme notes and verbally by our duo. He had an amazing life, stranger than fiction, and too much to relate here. His Sonata for Flute and Harp in E flat is unusual in that the flute is often taking a lower melodic line. Its three movements were tuneful upbeat and fun, a treasure well saved from the 18th century.
The Norwegian Kjerulf, from early in the 19th century, was our next composer. His Synnoves Sang, influenced by Norwegian folk traditions, was hugely different from the preceding pieces. The flute mostly took the vocal line, though the introduction and finale were graced with our duo singing in a timbre wholly appropriate for the genre. A very pleasant surprise.
Hamilton Harty’s In Ireland is a work of contrasts and this showed most clearly in staccato and high register sections of flute. However the greatest contrast of the evening came with Donald Grant’s ‘Chrissie’s’. Probably not a technically demanding work, but to be effective, a mood has to be created, and in that Meera and Lucy excelled. Their soft and mellow notes created a wistful, haunting Scottish air. The harp’s pianissimos were stunning: you could hear a pin drop.
Saint-Saens Fantaisie Op 124 was composed for violin and harp; we heard an arrangement for flute and harp which works well. The loss of edge from the violin was compensated for by a more complimentary tone quality producing a wonderful kaleidoscopic experience.
It was almost exactly a year ago that Ravel’s Pavane was played at a Nadsa concert, - and surely an annual hearing is not too often. Originally for piano, our rendition was quite naturally a different experience. The mood created lingered with us.
And then we had a little gem – Lili Boulanger’s Nocturne – light, brief and very engaging.
Alwyn’s Naiades actually written for flute and harp, provided a varied and glorious virtuosic finale for our concert.
Our encore took us from virtuosity to simplicity. Da Trow’s Jig by Stout and McKay found us in Scotland again, but in a jolly mood for going home.
This concert was sponsored by the Torbay Recorded Music Society.
NADSA Concert, Friday 20th September 7.30pm at The Courtenay Centre, Newton Abbot.
JRC