TYPICALLY for Swaledale the sunny, strawberry tea afternoon of Easby was followed by pouring rain and driving winds in Arkengarthdale, though nothing seems to diminish the warm welcome provided by the festival volunteers.

Once inside the church, the weather was forgotten in yet another bright and stimulating programme, this time by the violin duo of Harriet Mackenzie and Philippa Mo.

They opened with their own arrangement of J S Bach’s Two-Part Inventions with the two parts very effectively contrasted but complementary and the rhythmic music flowing very easily.

Retorica had also very successfully adapted Mozart’s Sonata for violin and piano, K.379 for their two violins with a particularly moving and touching first movement.

The highlight of their performance though was John McCabe’s Spielend which was written for them.

The 15-minute piece began in a lively way, the two violins playing together or chasing each other before the moods and tempi began changing quickly, often humorously, in a piece which was immediately accessible.

Wienawski’s Etude Caprice, Op. 18, No. 1 was another delightful study with the two violinists swapping roles half way through.

Bartok’s (44) Duos are the cornerstone of any two-violin recital and Retorica chose six of these folk-based songs ranging from a Teething Song via a Limping Dance to a lively Arabian Dance.

An encore of an arrangement of a Handel Passacaglia concluded a particularly enjoyable recital before we set off to brave the forgotten rain and wind outside.

Peter Bevan