Playing of dark passion and exuberance

Ades and Friends @ Snape Maltings

By FRANK CLIFF

Shortly after his appointment as director of the Aldeburgh Festival, Thomas Ades electrified the audience with some lesser-known piano music by Janacek. That composer's chamber music was the principal ingredient on Saturday.

Ades partnered Anthony Marwood in the violin sonata; a faultlessly executed performance which laid bare the dark passion of the work, but was marred by a balance problem which favoured the piano.

All was well after the repositioning for Pohadka for cello and piano. Louise Hopkins' performance of this and of the little Presto of 1924 reflected all its exuberance and lyricism, and Ades concluded the Janacek offering with sensitive playing of some piano miniatures. His playing of Poul Ruders second piano sonata received an ovation.

Ades' own Catch for clarinet, cello and piano had clarinettist Lynsey Marsh wandering in and out of the auditorium for reasons more entertaining than justifiable but the music was brimful of ideas.