6 OCTOBER 1973, Page 28

MUSIC

Last Wednesday three young Polish artists, Piotr Paleczny, Konstanty Kulka and his accompanist Jerzy Marchwinski made an outstanding impression in a shared recital at the Purcell Room. Perhaps the evening belonged to Mr. Kulka, of whom two encores were demanded for his superlative, idiomatic,performance of Bartok's sonata for unaccompanied violin. His technique and musicianmanship are near perfect, and on October 12 at the Royal Festival Hall one will welcome the opportunity of hearing him play Szymanowski's violin concerto with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Witold Rowicki. This is an especially interesting week for the musically inclined. On October 14 at the Royal Festival Hall, one has the rare pleasure of hearing Rudolf Kempe at the keyboard, when he joins Bernhard Klee and Fritz Rieger in a performance of Bach's concerto for three pianos. Perhaps not a performance for purists, but nevertheless a fascinating work played by three musicians of the utmost distinction. Mr Kempe, a renowned, Brahmsian, also conducts Mozart's Symphony No. 33 and Brahms' Third Symphony with the R.P.O.

There are two first performances of music by English composers within the next month. On Thursday, Desmond Bradley will perform the revised version of his violin concerto which he originally played with Sir Adrian Boult in 1965. Mr Bradley began writing the work in 1961, but having per formed the concerto, he felt that there were certain imperfections: "There is certainly a moment of truth when you stand in front of an orchestra and play your own music in public. Having actually performed the concerto, I was able to stand back, as it were and objectively assess its weaknesses." Mr Bradley is totally uninfluenced by avant-garde trends, and the work is based upon the rather unusual key of B flat minor.

The Durham Music Festival commences on October 21 and on the 24th the King's Singers are presenting a recital of music by Tallis, Poulenc, Carl Davis and a selection of arrangements in close harmony. The sheer accuracy of intonation of the group is in itself a pleasure, and additional interest will be provided by the first performance of "Three Songs" by Roger Hemingway. Mr Hemingway was a chorister at Rippon Cathedral, and at the Royal College of Music he studied the violin cello as well as composition. The first of his three songs, " Echoing Green" is a musical portrait of a village green, and as the sun descends over the scene the music slows and quietens to beautiful effect. The second song is a setting of Yeats's "The Cloth of Heaven." Here, the harmony is richer and the overall atmosphere rather subdued. The final song is • " The Fly" and the irony of the words is reflected in the music. The conclusion is that "Life and Death are a bitter experience."

Finally, on October 19 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall the excellently disciplined Bournemouth Sinfonietta is directed by Wolfgang Schneiderhan in music by Vivaldi, Dvorak, Berger and Bartok. Mr Schneiderhan is himself the soloist in "The Four Seasons." His performance of this group of concerti is appreciated for its vigour and insight into the baroque-style. He is especially well known in this country for his definitive performance of Schoenberg's violin concerto, and this concert gives one a splendid opportunity to discover his merits in the standard repertoire.

Simon Collins