Sonata Op.82 (1917) - Elgar

Legende in E flat (1892) - Delius

Lullaby and Waltz from Suite Op.6 - Britten

Elgar was 60 when his Opus 82 appeared, but its youthful passion belies those years. If ever an Edwardian wore his heart on his sleeve, it was Elgar in this work. It is a fiery tumult of rhythm and melody in the first movement, a languorous but far from languishing tunefulness in the second. In the third, meanwhile, a feeling of lightness irradiates the romanticism.

I had not expected to enjoy the piece, but the intensity of the performers carried all before it. It isn't easy to balance piano and strings, especially in the Hugh Lane Gallery, but Katherine Hunka and Sophia Rahman impressed by their ability to play powerfully as individuals without distorting the ensemble.

The Legende by Delius was his first published work, appearing when he was 30. It is more loosely constructed than the Elgar and its strong leanings towards chromaticism have an air of fin de siecle, a decadence that Elgar would have repugned. It is far from world-weary, however, and its winding lines are like the long thoughts of youth. The players brought an infectious conviction to the piece.

Britten's Suite No. 6, written when he was 22, has a different kind of youthfulness. The Lullaby and the Waltz that were selected from the six movements of the Suite are both quite extrovert; one can sense the enfant terrible wishing to dazzle by his skill, a wish that the duo responded to with enthusiasm.