THE GREAT ROMANTICS was a most delicious concert . This was the latest in the Live at Lunch series as directed and performed by internationally renowned flautist Jane Rutter and two of her friends Simon Tedeschi ( piano )  and Roger Benedict ( viola) .

Rutter wore a long glamourous red dress and was draped with a feather boa. All three took turns in introducing the various works . Most of the works were by  early great Romantic composers ( Schuman ,Schubert and Brahms) . Several of the works are familiar as song cycles here arranged for the trio.

The first work was the first movement of Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata ( arranged for viola and piano ) with a wistful piano opening and a melancholy viola that became a whirling waltzlike dialogue for the two . The music ebbed and flowed with thunderous angry comments by the piano, but this changed and became fragile and delicate with fluttering piano . The came a yearning viola mini solo and pulsating piano.

We next heard Three Romances for flute and piano by Schumann written as a Christmas present for his wife Clara in 1849 .The first featured sparkling bubbling piano while the flute embroidered over the melody – this developed into a languid discussion . The second was more fluid and reflective yet the piano was dynamically bubbling – this leads to a thoughtful joint discussion with delicate flute. The third Romance, perhaps reminiscent of Brahms, had a lilting repeated melody – again the flute led and there was a mini piano solo .

Hahn’s Romanesque , the title alluding to an Italian folk dance popular in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries , for flute, viola and piano was luscious and lilting with shimmering piano and sobbing viola followed.

Then came an arrangement of songs for viola and piano from Schubert’s Die Winterreise ( based on his leider cycle of unrequited love and storms) .  It was an intense partnership between the two and  there was passionate sadness . The intensity and emotional inflections of the poetry are developed to express the lover’s sorrow and anguish. We could feel the storms and ice . At one point the piano was in a lighter mood but then angry again you could feel the snowflakes  falling . The viola was melancholy throughout and in the final piece led by the piano you could hear the trudge of the rejected lover walking on the ice.

Next we heard Sonatansatz for viola and piano by Brahms and Schumann’s Intermezzo for viola and piano – full of vital rhythms and richly sonorous phrases –  emphatic , dramatic and tumultuous with fiery , whirling piano .

The last listed piece was Schubert’s An die Musik as arranged for the trio , luscious and elegant in the French style with pulsating piano and a delicate flute in a delicious dialogue with the viola .  

For an encore we heard an unusual , striking version of Gershwin’s ‘ Summertime’ for flute , piano and violin , Rutter on flute having the main melody line.

There was much appreciative applause and then we had to leave for lunch , buying CDs on the way .

 Live at Lunch:  THE GREAT ROMANTICS was at The Concourse Chatswood [Facebook] , Jun 18 2018.