VIOLA MUSIC

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27427, 13 August 1954, Page 9

VIOLA MUSIC

CANTERBURY COLLEGE RECITAL Two seldom-heard works made up the programme given yesterday in a lunch-time music recital in the Canterbury College Hall. They were the Viola Sonata m E flat by Dittersdorf, and Alan Paul’s Sonata in F for viola and piano. The soloists were Ronald Moon and Gwen McLeod. The sonata by Dittersdorf is a pleasant work, containing nothing to distinguish it from the many other equally pleasant works of the eighteenth century. Dittersdorf was one of the many musical craftsmen living then who wrote in a sufficiently competent manner to guarantee a livelihood, without achieving the level of a Bach or a Mozart. The sonata by Alan Paul, written in 1948, lacks the aggressive modernity of idiom which one has come to expect in compositions of recent years. Whether this adds to, or detracts from the work depends upon one’s personal sympathies: this listener found it an enjoyable experience. The main themes are eminently “whistleable,’’ and in one or two cases reminiscent of other composers, but this does not spoil one’s enjoyment of them in the slightest. The laying out of the parts is very well done: the piano does not obscure the viola part at any time. The performances of both works were of an equally high standard. A thorough understanding of the music and excellent ensemble playing contributed to the success of the concert. P.G.Z.