Classicalsource.com September 24, 2012
Julian Lloyd Webber & John Lenehan at Wigmore Hall – Ireland and Delius
Julian Lloyd Webber is a passionate advocate of both these composers, and with regular accompanist John Lenehan has a long standing familiarity with each work, and indeed discovered Delius’s Romance in 1976. This early composition from 1896 bears some similarity to the shorter works by Faure for cello and piano, and here was given a sunny countenance and warm tone, its main melody lightly elusive but attractive. The mood was in direct contrast to the Ireland, which initially complemented the rainstorm outside. Lloyd Webber’s tone throughout this was probing in the mid-register, and the high notes were completely secure. Delius’s Caprice and Elegy is from 1930 and is much more concise than the Romance. Lloyd Webber’s cantabile line gave the melody a light touch, and the chromatic Elegy was soft-hearted but profound.
Ben Hogwood
