REVIEWS

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Rowan Patterson - Saturday 24 January 2026

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Saturday 24th January 2026 had been a cold and wet day. Audience members made their way through floods and potholes in some cases, to the welcoming South Somerset Music Centre for an uplifting evening concert from violinist Rowan Patterson accompanied by Jonathan Delbridge. This was the first of the music centre’s Goldenstone Chamber Music concerts, performed by professional artists. Later in February, the centre will be graced by Dame Emma Kirkby with Sam Brown.

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Rowan and Jonathan had created their programme based upon their keen desire to perform John Ireland’s mighty Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor. Their concert began with an early Brahms Scherzo and a Beethoven Romance, representing Ireland’s own starting point. The rapport between violin and piano, duetting through some strenuous episodes, was immediately evident.

We came then to neo-classical Stravinsky, with 'Introduzione and Serenata' from Suite Italienne, arranged from music for the ballet Pulcinella. How strange it was to hear such a different Stravinsky. It proved a learning experience for those who might have expected pounding rhythms and discordance. But the Introduzione opens with a very formal, crisp and classical tone, as Rowan’s introduction had alluded to. A beautiful melodic Serenata follows it. Then, out of the blue, the music launches into a jolly, yet short episode of a more familiar strident Stravinsky chord-swapping. We are soon back again to the neo-classical modality, the players dealing with this with some panache and evident pleasure in their music making.

Rowan’s adaptation for violin of the impressionistic piece 'Untitled' by Rebecca Clarke, a contemporary of John Ireland and also Stravinsky, followed. 'Untitled' was written for viola, as Clarke herself was a viola virtuoso. A beautiful and haunting piece, Rowan took us to another place with her floating tone and a delicate palette of colours. Much of Rebecca Clarke’s music, like that of other composers of the turn of the twentieth century, deserves more exposure. Treasures from the era are still to be found.

So, having built a platform to launch the John Ireland, we come to this mighty work. A symphony of a piece with so many episodes. There are three very powerful movements and we were promised a finale in a steam train! So much is woven into this music that, as Rowan suggested, the audience has to suspend expectations and just go with the flow. It is intricate, moody, and at times seems almost free-form. Rowan and Jonathan’s partnership was supremely successful in their delivery and I, for one, enjoyed the steam train ride very much.

Lizzie Holyoak - dustedmusic.co.uk