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During the Brighton Fringe, cellist Pavlos Carvalho brought the full cello suites of Bach and the full cello sonatas of Beethoven to a devoted audience, many of whom attended all four concerts.

This evening’s performance focused on the earlier Beethoven sonatas, with the remainder on the following night.

The church of St Michael and All Angels, tucked away in the Montpelier area, is a beautiful, unique community space which offers a range of concerts and events to the local area.

Carvalho was accompanied for the evening by the highly skilled pianist Louisa Lam and he gave a short introduction to each piece before its performance, commenting on the history and Beethoven’s style in a manner than made it relatable, human and interesting.

Carvalho’s a very talented cellist and his interpretations of the classic pieces, particularly the closing piece Cello Sonata Op 69 in A major, were expressive.

He’s masterful at making the light, jubilant sequences tell a story, and the interaction with Lam’s piano brought those stories to life.

Though the performance was much longer than its billed time and, towards the end, the church was far from warm the evening was one of glorious escapism with wonderful delivery.