A 'Cello Recital

Room C6 was packed to capacity when Marie Vandewart and Dorothy Davies gave a recital of sonatas for 'cello and piano—one each by Beethoven, Paul Hindemith (an exile from Nazi Germany), and Brahms. The occasion inaugurated a practice which we may well hope to see continued—namely, that these two players, who intend to give further public recitals in Nimmo's Hall, will try out each programme on a College audience beforehand, enabling those who wish, to go again and rehear the music in town, and at the same time providing themselves with the opportunity to warm up to the playing. I.S.S. funds benefiteed by about £10 at this last concert, incidentally.

The Beethoven sonata which opened the programme is of extraordinary interest, because for all its "earliness" (it is his Opus 5), it gives glimpses here and there of the young Beethoven reaching out after his greater self. The first movement is laid out on big lines, with a slow introduction, a whopping big exposition of fresh, brilliant ideas in the Viennese taste, and a suggestion of a cadenza towards the end. All the time one is hearing suggestions of the G major piano concerto, and the middle period piano sonatas.

At the end of such a movement it was not surprising that applause was unrestrained, latecomers were let in, and the 'cello was re-tuned in the relaxed atmosphere, with the result that the second movement (and the last, as there is no slow movement to the work) was taken by some members of the audience to be the Hindemith sonata. And typical Beethoven that it was, this "Hindemith" delighted those who had expected the worst.