Viv McLean and Susan Porrett, The Barn Church, Kew

Sunday evening’s Valentine’s concert yielded three-fold delights.

The popular pianist, Viv McLean, who last year was the soloist at the Valentine’s Day Concert at the Barbican, this year generously brought a glorious selection of romantic music to the Barn Church in Kew. We, the audience, were, in turn, transfixed by his delicate interpretation of Chopin pieces -familiar and rare- roused by his sinuous playing of Beethoven’s great, dramatic and turbulent Sonata no.17 – The Tempest and moved by the sad sensuous Ophelia’s Song by Nikolai Medtner ,whose friend and inspiration was that other great Russian romantic composer, Rachmaninov.

The evening’s music was brought to a close with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. This piece, much anticipated by McLean’s army of fans, is delightfully and subtly different at each of his performances, sometimes reflecting the serious Gershwin, who revered classical music, sometimes the gutsy, New Yorker echoing the rhythms of Brooklyn and Harlem. Tonight, McLean revealed the more playful side of his own enigmatic personality, giving us a charming, up-beat and daring in its risk-taking, jazzy version.

Here was “food of love” enough for a truly romantic evening but there was an added bonus; the music was interspersed with poetry read and curated by the actress Susan Porrett, who introduced a lively selection of poems, carefully chosen to chime exactly with the music. This ranged from the “Song of Solomon”, through, most appropriately, John Donne, that writer of exquisitely erotic verse who became the Dean of St Paul’s, to more contemporary poets, John Betjeman and Philip Larkin. The evening’s words ended on a fitting and poignant note with the last line of Larkin’s An Arundel Tomb - ”What will survive of us is love.”

This fine actress, who apart from performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre, was well –known to the audience through her many TV and film appearances, skilfully painted a canvas for us of the many faces of love, triumphant, joyful, tender, wistful and even humorous: her reading of Betjeman’s In a Bath Tea Shop, bringing appreciative laughter from a delighted audience.

Music and Poetry to delight the soul indeed, but what of the third element in the romantic mix?

This was the dear Barn Church itself - St.Philip’s, to give its correct name, is unique; the first church in England to be built from a barn.

Its ancient timbers, which were probably from ships that fought at the time of the Armada, were brought from a 17th century barn in Oxted and lovingly re-assembled together with bricks of 17th century style in Kew in 1928. There is even older Tudor panelling behind the Altar and the North and South entrances are paved with ancient threshing stones.

But the Barn is more than the sum of its parts - as many euphoric audience members remarked on Sunday - the ambience is special, like no other venue.

Here was a magical atmosphere of great spiritual warmth, and, above all, love.

Carolina Bevilacqua


Viv McLean and Susan Porrett can be heard again in Touches of Sweet Harmony - a celebration of the genius of William Shakespeare in words and music - touring the UK from April 23 and at the Barn in Kew on May 1. Call 07905 219 728 for more information.