THE first concert of the Swindon Recital Series New Year sees a mother and daughter duo, Clare Toomer and Sarah Mattinson, perform together.

Concert pianist Clare is a welcome regular to the recital series but this time she will be playing alongside her daughter Sarah, who is currently studying at Oxford after achieving her ABRSM flute diploma at Marlborough College. One of Sarah’s highlights so far has been to play Rachmaninov’s 2nd piano concerto with the Southbank Sinfonia.

Founder and artistic director of the recital series, Paul Turner, said: “This year it is the compositions of JS Bach that is the link between the concerts. It’s a recent innovation to tie the programme together by compositions from a single composer, and Clare and Sarah will be playing Bach’s Sonata in Eb BWV 1031. This year we have already heard Michael Bochmann’s Bach Sonato for solo violin in October and sax player Hayley Lambert and I played Bach’s Sonata in G minor in November.’’

Clare is head of academic studies and keyboard at Marlborough College and lives in Mildenhall. Her family founded the well known Swindon garden centre of Toomers. She has played in London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and St John’s Smith Square, as well as jetting all over Europe, Japan and Malaysia to give lecture recitals.

The pianist is a founder member of the Norwegian group Trio Tonus. Clare has also recorded for the BBC and Classic FM and has recorded a CD of French songs for Lontano.

Paul said: ‘This concert is an excellent opportunity to take a little time out from daily life and enjoy the world’s best composers played by this highly professional family duo.’’

Along with the Bach sonata, mother and daughter will present a programme to include Reinecke’s Ballad and Sancan’s Sonatine.

Julia Singleton from the recital series said: “Carl Reinecke was a German composer in the romantic tradition. The Ballade is a very expressive and lyrical composition, and was the last piece that he wrote before his death in 1910.

Pierre Sancan, also a composer and pianist, was a major figure among French musicians in the mid-twentieth centuryThe Sonatine composed in 1946 as a test piece for the Paris Conservatoire, is his best-known work. It is a flowing and romantic piece’’

Clare and Sarah will be at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon on Wednesday, January 24 from 1.05pm. Tickets are £6 and accompanied children 14 years and under go free. FOr details visit www.swindonrecitalseries.org

- Flicky Harrison