Oliver Grant (piano) and Jennifer Sheridan (violin) played three well chosen pieces for the first half of the evening, taking us on a journey from familiar to not-so-familiar music, to César Franck via two very different moods of Bach. Let me explain.

The programme was laid out like a three movement concerto.

We started with the upbeat and joyous first movement of the 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 2', one of the most familiar pieces of Bach in the repertory, and an excellent icebreaker for the evening. The fast tempo, technical excellence, balance and energy of the musicians engaged us immediately. I think it was because of the stripped-down arrangement of the concerto, concentrating on the continuo and the melody, that the overall impression I got was that the music was very close to Vivaldi in spirit.

Next, two movements from Bach's 'Sonata No. 4' for violin and keyboard. From the informative programme notes we read that these sonatas "represent the real beginnings of the duo sonata…It may well be that the fourth…is the most unusual and forward-looking". The sonata is a deeply emotive experience of an elegiac yet stoical mood overarched by a feeling of tragic beauty. Grant and Sheridan approached the first and second movements with a brisk tempo and crisp execution. But at any speed it's still serious goose bump stuff. Somehow the careful development of the piano's rather deliberate, serious and technical chord progressions adds to the emotional kick of the violin's huge, sighing statements. I would have loved to have heard the third movement delivered by these two but this would have skewed the evening too much to the sombre side of life.

Finally came the three movements – 'Sonata for violin and piano in A major' by César Franck, which premiered in 1897, seven years after the composer's death. For those of us with no prior knowledge of this work, this was uncharted territory. Once again, the programme notes helped. We read that, late in his life, Franck became infatuated with a young pupil. This gives a clue to this piece. The first movement is redolent with the harmonies of sensual art songs of the last part of the 19th century, especially those of the Vienna school such as Richard Strauss and Hugo Wolff. The second movement, described as "demonically difficult", made us realise that we were in the presence of a musical performance little short of world class. Grant and Sheridan easily tackled this hugely complex Liszt-like sound painting full of desperation and longing, ending with a rapid chromatic fugue-like finale. We then all did the Bermudian thing which brings frowns and eye rolls from more sophisticated musical aficionados. At this moment we spontaneously applauded, loudly and thoroughly. It was a true BDA moment. Unfazed, our two soloists then delivered the third movement of this extraordinary composition, a rapid rondo in canon form which offset the first two moments by ending on a note of joy. The audience all stood to applaud these wonderful musicians.

The second half of the evening featured Doug Frith on clarinet and saxophone, Shelton Bean on drums and Oliver Grant on piano, interpreting jazz classics by Duke Ellington, Kenny Ball, James Rae, Graham Lyons, Mike Westbrook and others. The trio fitted well together. Doug is a master player with a wonderfully precise delivery. Shelton Bean delivers a nicely nuanced rhythm to hold it all together and is, like Doug, a master. Oliver Grant is equally at home with jazz as with classical piano. He has an unassuming and completely natural team approach to the music, which is really what jazz is all about. Doug re-introduced us to these classic jazz tunes starting with Kenny Ball's 'Lumbered at the Lotus', a nice wide-striding boogie followed by 'Midnight in Moscow', 'American Patrol' and 'Dark Eyes'.

This is a good sampling of Ball's work and includes some of his greatest hits. For those of us who associate his music with the 1960s, it's salutary to take a look at his site on the Internet. Kenny and his jazzmen will be performing their next concert in Hornchurch, Essex, UK to sell-out houses.

I was not familiar with the works of Rae or Lyons so it was a treat to get acquainted. James Rae's 'Waltz for Emily' brought Shelton Bean to the fore with a powerful drum solo in this rather wistful waltz. 'Lyons' Butterfly Waltz' reminded me of the delicate compositions of Claude Bolling. His 'The Quick Brown Fox' showcased Shelton Bean again in a sort of up tempo jokey fox trot, a reference to the title. There were more serious offerings as well. Mike Westbrook's 'Sonnet' and Nigel Wood's 'Wishing You Were Here', for example. Westbrook's rather languid, modal sonnet was a bit like one of Dankworth's literature-based pieces. Wood's composition was another mood piece, with a powerfully nostalgic feel.

Thank you, Bermuda School of Music and Christ Church for a terrific evening.