LAURENCE Perkins and Michael Hancock are quite a pair. On bassoon and piano respectively they entertained an audience at Kelly College recently with a wide range of English music. It varied from the Baroque to a first performance, from the romantic to the amusing. Both musicians were adept at conjuring different moods — the brooding mountains of the Lake District in Robin Walker's Twilight, for unaccompanied bassoon, the romanticism in Gilbert Vinter's Reverie. The first performance was a sonata for bassoon and piano by Andrew Wilson. This had a lyrical opening movement with a flowing melody, followed by a gentle Recitativo, and a final Presto in which the full range of the bassoon was explored. Michael Hancock showed he could not only play the piano but also sing. Silent Noon is a Christina Rossetti poem, set to music by Vaughan Williams, and The Armadillo is a delightful Flanders and Swann song. He also played four varied pieces by Douglas Steele with great verve and style. Romance was also present with Elgar, a piece which was gentle and expressive. The final piece, the humorous 'Playful Pachyderm' by Gilbert Vinter, was followed by Frank Bridge's Berceuse as an encore. This was a fascinating evening's music. FELICITY BARNABY
