THE two sonatas of Debussy land Poulenc both come from times of war, but they area very different. The Poulenc has an angular acerbic quality that seems to suit the collapse of civilised values, whereas the Debussy is a nostalgic recreation of Pierrot and Harlequin, adopting the ritual poses against a background painted by Watteau. The music shimmers and the forceful but elegant gestures of the protagonists make only a fleeting impression. The work asks for, and obtained, very refined playing. Gillian Williams (violin) was alert to every subtlety and with Peter Dains (piano) captured the spell of that imaginary world.
Poulenc's Sonata has a neoclassical feel beneath its expressionistic surface and possibly a cooler interpretation might have served it better than the emotionally emphatic one received. Poulenc was not one to wear his heart on his sleeve.
Milhaud's Le printemps was an agreeable trifle and Sunday's midday recital in the Lane Gallery concluded with Debussy's La fille aux cheveux de lin, a work which is best heard in the original version for solo piano. With violin it loses much of the characteristically Debussyan atmosphere of mystery.
