Sonata in G minor BWV1029 - Bach

Sonata in G minor Op 65 - Chopin

Suite Populaire Espagnole - Falla

Le Grand Tango - Piazzola

Gerald Peregrine plays the cello as if born to it, with a deceptively effortless command of its expressive possibilities. Last Friday he showed some understanding of the stylistic adaptation required by his wide-ranging programme; the main limitation was his almost-cool passion, less individual than his technical accomplishments suggested was possible.

Knowledge of baroque performance practice has only increased the challenges for those wishing to perform such music on modern instruments. In Bach's Sonata In G Minor for viola da gamba and harpsichord BWV1029, Peregrine and Deborah Kelleher avoided overprojection and set up a nicely balanced discourse between the bass and whichever of the upper parts was most important.

This was typical of a responsive partnership, even if some of the music would have benefited from a more tense relationship: the structural complexities of the Chopin did not seem coherent despite the beauties of individual moments.

The concert closed with the Falla and Piazzola, works that thrive on a more forceful, flamboyant style. Nevertheless, in them Peregrine's ability to shape a phrase and instil rhythmic character were at their most persuasive.