Light and shadows at classical concert

Llyr Williams and the Nidum Ensemble, Holy Cross Church, Cowbridge

Angels and demons were in the air at this enthralling concert which marked a new chapter in the history of the Cowbridge Music Festival.

Welsh pianist Llyr Williams joined the Nidum Ensemble at the start of his tenure as the festival’s artist-in-residence. It promises to be a fruitful alliance.

Angels would surely have been charmed by the 16-year-old Mozart’s Divertimento in F major, which opened this concert. The ensemble played with a tenderness which was especially touching in the lyrical slow movement.

Mr Williams conducted from the piano in a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 12 in A Major which demonstrated the soloist’s musical intelligence. Again, the andante was particularly pleasing for the hushed capacity audience. This piece hints at Mozart’s more mature work and suggests he had already been blessed by angels, if not yet touched by the hand of God.

As an encore Mr Williams performed Liszt’s transcription of Schubert’s song Auf Dem Wasser Zu Singen. Liszt’s fiery piano technique meant many in his day thought him possessed by demons, and this thrilling performance showed why.

Schubert’s demons were laid bare in his String Quartet in D Minor, Death and the Maiden. Composed when the composer was acutely aware that he was not long for this world, it can be seen as a contemplation of the struggle against cruel fate.

This arrangement by Mahler was powerful, capturing Schubert’s tortured state of mind, but with flashes of hope and light – the sort of light that angels reveal.

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