Festivities Review, The Parnassian Ensemble

I was dubious about hearing Handel’s famous ‘Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’ played on two recorders and continuo, but Helen Hooker’s arrangement worked extremely well. A Purcell ‘sandwich’ of the bread of a harpsichord Prelude by Henry Purcell, ably performed by David Pollock on his Italian style harpsichord, and the Chaconne from his ‘Dioclesian’ for two recorders and continuo, with the filling being a trio-sonata by Henry’s younger brother Daniel Purcell, worked well. The Parnassian – Sophie Middleditch and Helen Hooker (recorders), Lynden Cranham (cello) and David Pollock on harpsichord) – are well attuned to period performance style and their technique and ensemble achieves a degree of perfection rarely heard. David’s solo playing in Byrd’s ‘My Ladye Nevels Grownde’, getting more and more complex and virtuosic through each variation, was flawless.

The less well-known composers were represented by a duo sonata for the two recorders by William Croft, trio-sonatas by Robert Valentine, William Corbett and the inspiringly named William Williams (born in London, not Wales!). The most unusual work, however, was a sonata for solo cello by Nicola Haym, known more as a librettist for Handel’s operas, where Lynden Cranham exploited the varied textures in this short work with high degree of aplomb.

Ian Graham-Jones