The amount of variety offered by the VIAF is endless and yesterday’s concert was no exception. It was an Italo-German duo consisting of two ladies. The first three letters of the pianist’s name and the first three of the saxophonist led to the christening of their duo: GiuSte which in plain Italian happens to mean either as (morally) righteous or “the right ones”. This they definitely were, being very-well suited to perform the music in their programme.

They had works by six different composers – Some are household names one of whom had no less than three sections of the concert dedicated to his music. This was the Argentinian Astor Piazzolla (1921-92). It could never be stressed enough how he changed and revolutionised the tango, which earned international fame.

It was with his music that the concert began. This music revealed straightvaway how well-knit and mutually supportive and how complementary their characters are. The tall, statuesque saxophonist has a commanding appearance softened by her passionately involved warmth as she performed Bordel 1900 and Night Club 1960, from Histoire du

Tango which dates to the 1980s which in fact a Chronicle of how the tango developed over the years and different ambience.

The other very well-known composer was the half-Basque Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) who had Iberian roots on his mother’s. He was fascinated with Spanish music as his Pièce en forme de Habanera (1907). Originalky for violin and ousnonit has gone through sevral arrangements such as the one heard this evening. The habanera, very popular in Spain, actually reached Spain from Cuba’s capital Havana, a Spanish colony until 1898. It is sultry and sinuous and that atmosphere was easily projected by the duo.

For the next work the music moved to Mexico’s Arturo Marquez (b.1960) one of that country’s better-known composers. His Danzón n.2 (1994) is based on a dance of that name (literally meaning “big dance”). It is another Cuban export which grew strong roots along parts of the Gulf coast. The work was compised for full.irchestra and this evening GiuSte Duo performed in an arrangement by

Christian Maggio, who is an Italian pianist and composer. The arrangement is in different sections in which the soprano and alto sax alternate when moods change back and forth.

Maria Frendo’s programme notes regarding the next dose of Piazzolla, included a request to the audience, to keep eyes closed because this piece is aptly called Close your eyes and listen (1974). I did and could not find out whether the audience did or did not. I do bit think that piano and saxophone were played blindly (not an improbable feat) but of course I could not tell. I kept my eyes closed and all I can say us that I felt very very relaxed. I had read the brief note which described the four- or five-minute work as one of “mixed structured passages and improvisational sections …in Piazzolla’s signature style”. Various emotions were evoked and all I could re-assert that they had a relaxing effect in me.

A work.of similar length followed. It was Beyond these Hills (1961) by Carl Anton Wirth (1912-96). It is very nostalgic but not sugary, where piano set off with a haunting and very beautiful melody then taken up by saxophone.

Great interaction between the two ladies marked the performance of this piece as backgound music to a documentary somewhere in some of the USA’s hilly countryside.

Very lovely and warmly rhtymic and energetic was the Brasileira from the Scaramouche Suite (1937), by Darius Milhaud (1892-1974).

It was in effect “a samba brasileira” a Brazilian dance known world-wide especially because its beat and rhythm dominate famous carnival défile and stree-dancing in Rio de Janeiro.

The third and last dose of Piazzolla consisted of two of his most popular and unmistakeable pieces he ever composed. Oblivión (1982) is based on a play by Pirandello about an actor’s change of perception and reality when this actor while interpreting the part of a troubled Emperor (Heinrich/Enrico IV) has a mishap which leads to his believing he IS the Emperor. His dementia pushes him into a state of oblivion. This could not but be a sad story and sadness permeates the sensitive music projects a beauty of it’s own which is what makes it an evergreen work.

Libertango (1974) also very popular marks the point where Piazzolla “broke free” from classical tango to his (brand) of nuevo tango.

The sheerly energetic “hot” and overriding melody make it stand out because within itvarecrecognisable elements if both classical music and jazz.

Duo GiuSte’s performance ended with a very real tour-de-force by the ladies. It was by Pedro Iturraide (1929-2020), a Basque surname and an important jazz in Spain. His Pequeña Czarda (1998) is based on the Hungarian csárdás which begins with “lassù” a slowish beginning which then bursts into a very energetic “friss”. It was a showpiece of technical versatility and pure overall virtouso performance. At one point the music carried on while Stephanie Winzen slowly walked up and down the hall going back near the piano where the duo finished this loudly acclaimed delivery.

Yes of course there HAD to be an encore, which was the very well-known Take Five (1959) by Paul Desmond (1924-77). Quite an exciting piece with the piano maintaining a relentless ostinato accompaniment to the seemingly nonchalant (yet nicely controlled) flow of music from the saxophone.

Albert George Storace