Disciplined outfit had pinpoint timing (even without a conductor)

Pavlova Winds with Glynne Butt
Church of St Mary-le-More, Wallingford
Saturday, September 6

A HIGHLY qualified musical friend of mine once said that if you’re at a loose end and don’t know what to do with yourself, then put on some Mozart, or the Beatles, either will make you feel good.

The richly talented Pavlova Winds chose the former for their tight and committed concert at St Mary’s in Wallingford and I can confirm that my friend was right.

Pavlova Winds came in two forms, a quartet augmented by piano and then a 13-piece ensemble.

They are a disciplined outfit no matter how many in the band, with pinpoint timing, even without a conductor and a strong adherence to pitch despite being exclusively reed and brass instruments.

The first offering, a piano quintet in E flat, was a delicate and light-footed exercise in combining wind and keyboard.

The core unit of Pavlova Winds of Wendy Marks on oboe, Barbara Stuart on clarinet, Helen Newing on French horn and Simon Payne on bassoon, was completed by pianist Glynne Butt who complemented and led in turn this lively piece.

Ms Butt was perhaps a tad nervous at the start but only for a few bars and after that she turned in a fireworks display, while the wind instruments first laid a bed for her pyrotechnics and then individually took centre stage, as they weaved in and out of each other.

The piece was constantly on the move and it was easy to see how later forms of music stole their ideas from Mozart — think New Orleans jazz band with each instrument screaming for attention but each allowing the others room to shine. That would have been worth the ticket price alone but we were then treated to Mozart’s Gran Partita in B flat, an entertainment in seven movements with melodies, counterpoints, harmonies and excitement constantly shifting.

Sometimes there were echoes of Bach but it was always readily identifiable as Mozart with his pushy arpeggios pumping away in the basement. Modern popular music forms owe so much to this genius who probably came from another galaxy.

There was so much joy in these pieces and they lost none of their power by not having any string content. Apparently they were written for outdoor performance, where wind instruments carry far more effectively than strings.

It was another full house for Wallingford Chamber Music and there are two concerts remaining this season.

Mike Rowbottom