This is the most beautiful alto-playing since Johnny Hodges; and the most beautiful soprano-playing ever. Or so it seems after listening to the two records. Yet perhaps a qualification or two might be in order: I do not think Hodges would have made such a showing in a good deal of the music here recorded; the altogether unusual control of the soprano shown seems to bring its sound closer to that of the alto rather than the reverse and a belated reference, here, to the sparkling piano-playing of John Lenehan should not be taken to mean that his contribution to the whole is not a major one (it is just not quite so unusual!).

The merging of these two talents brings two programmes of great interest. The Hyperion record offers original music for the duo concerned: three sonatas and two one-movement pieces. Of the sonatas, that of Richard Rodney Bennett seems the most effectively constructed, offering a sense of purpose throughout its four movements (and a reference to a Harold Arlen song unknown to me: Once I had a sweetheart). The Phil Woods Sonata makes regular references to various-perhaps too many-jazz styles: so does that of Edison Denisov, which, though disfigured by explorations of the outer fringes of sax technique which many will join me in thinking best left unexplored, has a great vitality in its layout and, often, its forward urge.

Single movements are of course easier to construct than multi-movement sonatas: and neither Dave Heath nor Michael Berkeley has much difficulty in that direction. The 'Rumania' of Heath's title refers to the Bartok Rumanian Dances, part of his source-material this is improbably varied (not only Bartok, but also Courtney Pine, Ysaye and Richard Clayderman are called on); but the result is by no means ineffective. Nor is that of Michael Berkeley's Keening, a reference to the caoine of Irish mourning. (The caoine came into gramophone history once before: older readers will remember the movement of that name from Stanford's Clarinet Sonata which filled the odd 78rpm side of Thurston's original recording of the Bliss Clarinet Quintet.)

Malcolm Macdonald
(From: Gramophone, July 1988)