WHAT made this recital so special?

There were a number of reasons – a sense of occasion, being the final group in the 2014 series, the persuasive presence of the highly accomplished young clarinettist, Elaine Ruby, right, and the well-planned and contrasting selection of pieces designed to please all tastes.

They ranged from the very popular Vocalise by Rachmaninov to the concise, exquisite but challenging Four Pieces Op 5 by Alban Berg, to the dazzling Fantasia on themes from Verdi’s La Traviata by Lovreglio, not to mention the opening with Brahms’ E flat Sonata, one of several significant successes of his last years to include the clarinet.

From the outset we experienced the full effect of Elaine and Daniel King’s instinctive feel for phrasing and widely contrasting highs and lows.

A wide spectrum of dynamics was also the hallmark of the duo’s performance throughout and gradations in the use of piano were a speciality.

The playing throughout was no less accomplished than we have come to expect from musicians selected by Catherine Hodgson, Concerts in the West organiser.

Indeed, Elaine’s playing had such a degree of involvement, musicality and joy that the audience was captivated from the start.

Daniel’s experience was evident, his contribution always vital, often driving and strongly supportive.

There was also a degree of novelty, including a rarely performed duo by the composer famed for his Jamaican Rumba, Arthur Benjamin.

ANTHONY PITHER