William Dowdall (flute), Birgit Katzarofski (piano)

Joueurs de flute - Roussel

Jeux - Ibert

Sonata - Martinu

Three Pieces for Solo Flute - John Buckley

Sonata - Franck

William Dowdall, principal flautist of the National Symphony Orchestra, followed up his solo appearance in front of the orchestra last Friday with a full-length recital at the John Field Room last night. In partnership with the Austrian pianist Birgit Katzarofski, he offered a programme that was predominantly French in flavour.

Two works from the 1920s, Roussel's Joueurs de flute of 1924, and Ibert's Jeux of 1923, made up the first half, along with the Sonata of 1945 from the American period of the Czech Martinu, who, in his Paris years, had studied under Roussel.

John Buckley's early Three Pieces for Solo Flute, now nearly a quarter of a century old, fitted easily into the French atmosphere in spite of a few modish, pitch-bending touches. And Cesar Franck's Sonata in A was placed at the end to bring the evening to a climax at the heart of the 19th century French repertoire.

Dowdall is a resourceful musician who seems incapable of uttering a phrase or a note that is not carried and shaped with especial care. He avoids those excesses of vibrato and penetrating tone which have followed the starry ascent of James Galway and yet it is fair to say there is hardly a dull moment in anything he does.

His interpretationally interventionist approach was to be heard at its purest in his persuasive presentation of the Buckley, and, though the first half turned out to be a little lacking in contrast, the duo-playing here was of a consistently rewarding musical character.

Unfortunately, although the Franck Sonata benefits from a gentleness of touch that Katzarofski was clearly prepared to countenance, the pianist's contribution turned out to be dangerously fallible. It was hard to feel at ease during a performance where her hold on the notes periodically seemed alarmingly precarious.