Once again the Coffee Concerts at Christ Church Catedral delivered a world class virtuoso duo, with Katherine Hunka (violin) and Dermot Dunne (accordion). Again, I have to say that the Arts Council showed poor acknowledgement to the audiences who are attracted to this venue by axing funding and small funding at that to this venue.
Opening with a dance/ballet selection from Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne we got brio and brilliance on the violin and the piano transpositions to accordion worked like an organ with wistful and wonderful slow movements.
A contemporary touch with jazz musician and composer Ronan Guilfoyle’s commissioned piece Binary Number – a seven minute experience, best described as two gnats on the matted back of a gnu.
De Falla’s Suite of Spanish Folk Songs was racy, elegiac and full of spring sunshine with real warmth and even a lullaby to set your heart a dreaming. This excellent violin work had spirit, passion and majesty. But the surprise of the concert was some 17th century music Sonata Representiva from Biber where the instruments sounded like creatures. Almost contemporary in style and the audience loved the sound of Nightingale, Cuckoo, Frog and a Hen and Cockerel that sounded like a howdown. Even the cat had a plaintive miaow.
From a small stage Hunka and Dunne introduced the pieces without a microphone and it was a joy to hear them clearly and enjoy their enthusiasm.
They finished with an exciting Copelaud Howdown and a dazzling Hungarian Gypsy Dance.
This was a wonderful concert and let’s have them back again. Before I forget, I must acknowledge that this concert was part of Music Network and as such had Arts Council support.
