All present were very glad it had proved possible for violinist Mathilde Milwidsky and pianist Joseph Havlat to reschedule their concert at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor in Dolgellau.

The duo were originally meant to perform for Dolgellau Music Club back in March but had to reschedule, finally performing on Friday, 22 September. This was performance of Wigmore Hall standard, indeed Joseph was due to be performing at that illustrious venue two days later.

Opening with Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending, the duo at once left the audience in no doubt that they were in for a treat.

The rich tone of Mathilde’s Lorenzo Ventapane (1795) violin helped the tuneful bird soar, and balance between soloist and piano was always finely judged.

Solo items for violin (a Telemann fantasia) and piano (movements from Dohnányi’s Ruralia Hungarica) showcased each performer’s individual prowess and musicianship.

Bloch’s Baal Shem: Three Pictures of Hasidic Life and Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 3 ‘Ballade’ traversed stranger but always vivid territory; the ‘home straight’, a glorious rendering of César Franck’s much-loved Sonata in A major, brought to a close an uplifting and memorable recital.

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