The perfect pairing

Jean Johnson and Steven Osborne unite for the Cottier Theatre evening performance with a repertoire of Brahms and Schumann. As a member of Daniel's Beard, Jean will have her work cut out for the duration of the Chamber Project. Her husband, Steven Osborne, is one of the world's leading piano soloists and has recently won the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumental Award. What a great partnership! I'm sure they'll be completely in tune (hee hee) with each other when it comes to performing.

I am intrigued to hear another piece of Brahms' work, this time Sonata No.1 Op. 120/1. The clarinet provides a soft lilt against the piano throughout this piece with a  delicate tone that prevails with a subtle contrast to the piano which offers a slightly heavier, weightier sound. I found this to be a pretty piece which seemed to lean in the favour of the clarinet, exhibiting the soft voice of the wind instrument. However, in Brahms' Sonata No.2 I found that the piano took centre stage, what beautiful sounds prevailed.

Schumann's piece had a different feel to it as I detected a slightly darker undertone  at the beginning of the piece, for some bizarre reason it reminded me of a slowly flowing river, there was no urgency to the music. The piece continued in much the same way, tranquil and soft. Schumann is the first female composer whom I have encountered so far, a feminine tenderness runs through the piece, though there are quite obvious similarities between this piece and Brahms' Sonata.

Combining the clarinet and piano is like tea and cake - they just work well together. The gentle and almost effortless sound which was produced had a graceful  and refined air, I was captivated.

Jean Johnson and Steven Osborne will perform at Cottier's Theatre on the 6th of June. To purchase tickets click here or visit the Cottier Theatre Box Office.