Michael Dervan was at Graffin, Désert in Slane Castle and Sylvia Thompson saw 1900 at the Draíocht theatre in Blanchardstown

Graffin, Désert
Slane Castle

Clara Schumann - Three Romances. Robert Schumann - Sonata in A minor, Op 105. Philippe Hersant - Chants du sud. Enescu - Impressions d'enfance. Ravel - Sonata in G.

For the programming of their debut recital at the IIB Bank Music in Great Irish Houses festival, the French violin and piano duo of Philippe Graffin and Claire Désert showed themselves every bit as imaginative and resourceful in concert as they have already proved on disc.

Robert and Clara Schumann, husband and wife, are a natural musical coupling. So, too, it turned out, are Philippe Hersant's 10-year-old Chants du sud (the evening's one work for violin solo) and Georges Enescu's Impressions d'enfance of 1940, both earthy yet technically elaborate violinistic evocations.

At the end was placed a 20th- century classic, Ravel's Sonata in G. This work, seen by the composer as a juxtaposition of incompatible instruments, was almost a fashion statement of the 1920s, big on bitonality and blues. Yet, unlike many a similar statement, it's one that has outlived its era.

The evening's music-making was not altogether even, an outcome that might have been explained by Graffin having yielded up his Domenico Busano violin for a Stradivarius - lucky man! - that he was playing in recital for the first time.

In the confined ballroom of Slane Castle, the sound of the two instruments sometimes became too big. The effect was strongest in the two sonatas.

By contrast, the internal dialogue of the Clara Schumann Romances was communicated clearly, and the rich fantasy of Enescu also unfolded freely. The fabricated folksiness of Hersant, its effects skilfully imagined by the composer and faithfully delivered by the performer (for whom it was written), was a miniature tour de force.

Michael Dervan

1900
Draíocht, Blanchardstown

The long sheet flapping gently across the back of the stage, the ropes and the poles sets the scene for a nautical drama before the actors and puppets of the Belgian theatre company, Ultima Thule, make their appearance.

First, we are introduced to the trumpet player (Hans Van Cauwenberghe), a performer on the transatlantic liner, The Virginian. Then we hear how a baby was abandoned on the ship's upper deck. Named "1900" after the year he was born, this young orphan (played by a charming wooden-headed puppet) has become a piano prodigy who entertains passengers on their journeys from Europe to America and back.

In spite of him never going ashore, 1900's fame has spread around the world. When the inventor of jazz (another puppet with a carved wooden head and hands) comes aboard, challenging 1900 to a piano duel, the now 32-year-old piano player coyly surpasses the skills of the world-famous pianist.

The mood of the ship is well captured throughout the show, with a storm scene particularly well done.

Ultima Thule's cast consists of two actors - Cauwenberghe and Philip Peeters - both of whom fluidly share dialogue with their carved wooden puppets. Cauwenberghe's storytelling skills are particularly impressive, but unfortunately the show is over-reliant on them, which makes it rather difficult for the younger audience members to follow (the show is billed for 10 years upwards).

Ultimately, the poignant tale, based on the Italian novella, Novecento, by Alessandro Barricco, would be better suited to teenagers or indeed adults, who would enjoy the subtle nuances in this gentle tale of friendship and musical passions.

Spreacha, Fingal's International Arts Festival for Children at Draíocht, continues until Saturday

Sylvia Thompson