"Tasmin Little & Wayne Marshall'', The Bermuda Festival, City Hall Theatre, February 7 -- On Saturday night we were treated to a thrilling and inspiring display of virtuosity and vitality by violinist Tasmin Little and pianist Wayne Marshall.

No stranger to Bermuda Festival audiences, at both piano and organ keyboards, Wayne Marshall did not disappoint us; his outstanding dexterity and innate musicianship found the perfect partner in violinist Tasmin Little.

Seldom have I attended a performance which left me feeling so uplifted and joyous. Tasmin Little and Wayne Marshall exuded an overt sense of fun and playfulness in their performance, something which alas, is not always top of the list of priorities in "classical'' concerts.

This was an evening of sheer delight.

The concert opened with a dramatic and dazzling performance of Kreisler's Praeludium & Allegro, made all the more poignant by the fact that it was not listed on the programme and thus whetted the appetite for an evening of warmth, humour, magnificent musicianship and joy.

Throughout the performance, Tasmin Little provided amusing and informative listening guides to each of the pieces, complete with demonstrations of themes and techniques. Her natural warmth and charming personality invited the audience to become involved and by the evening's end we were dear friends.

The Violin Sonata No. 3 in E major by J. S. Bach was beautifully balanced from the passionate Adagio opening to the spirited Allegro conclusion. Edvard Grieg wrote 3 violin sonatas and the duo presented No. 3 in C minor.

In this highly romantic and virtuosic piece we were transported through a variety of moods and colours on both instruments. The final Allegro animato which "is very fast indeed'' ended the first half with a dramatic flourish.

Wayne Marshall opened the second half with an inspired performance of the Sonatine by Ravel.

He too gave the audience a brief description of what was to come, but words alone could not convey the luscious tonal language which he explored with clarity and passion.

Tasmin Little returned to the stage to perform a set of "not terribly serious'' variations on a "rather simple theme' by the British composer Paul Patterson. She then went on to describe how the piece "bumbles on etc. etc'' through a variety of sections -- some "very silly'' and some "terribly serious''.

Consequently "Luslawice Variations'' was a very easy piece to follow and we all relished her obvious delight in its performance.

The Tzigane by Ravel brought the two performers back together; although Wayne Marshall had teasingly threatened to stay backstage for the lengthy opening violin statement. The rapport and sense of fun these performers shared was infectious and the audience loved it. The Tzigane, meaning "Gypsy'' was written for the Hungarian violinist Jelly D'Aranyi, and in this piece Ravei sends the violinist technically "through the hoops''.

Tasmin Little was up to the challenge and this was a superb rendition matched perfectly by the spirited execution of an equally challenging piano part.

Saying goodbye to dear friends is never easy and so we implored for more magic. We were not disappointed. The first encore was a charming piece "Estrallitaby the South American composer Ponce. Both players captured the delicious Spanish flavours in this melodic vignette.

A lighthearted and delightfully witty piece "Banjos & Fiddles'' by William Kroll provided an apt conclusion to the evening. We were enchanted by the mischievousness and the magnificence of this pairing. Tasmin & Wayne demonstrated absolutely that music is fun, and so say all of us! -- Kate Ross WAYNE MARSHALL TASMIN LITTLE