The Ivory Duo Piano Ensemble comprises of pianists Panayotis Archontides and Natalie Tsaldarakis, two Greek performers who are also Convivium label artists: Huntley Dent reviewed them in more Benham (and a longer disc) in Fanfare 46:1, while I found a disc of Benham’s choral music “splendid” in 43:5 (also Convivium; Henry Fogel also seemed to enjoy it). 

This is certainly music to brighten up a cloudy day, couched in identifiably English harmonies (reflecting the county village front cover) spiced, perhaps, with the odd bit of Milhaud in the first movement (“Looking for Number 142”) of the suite, Home Street. The central panel, “The House Called ‘Apple Trees’” is wistfully nostalgic, while the final “The Artist’s Garden” mixes the odd bit of grit with aching lyricism, its swirling scales referring back to the opening of the Suite itself. 

The four Short Numbers are simply entitled “One” to “Four,” but in Greek. Benham does meandering well, much as the English like a good meander in the countryside. This is a strange (but not backhanded) compliment: the music is relaxing and well constructed, but not completely directionless. Most of all, it exudes the warmth of a spring day. Perhaps that French influence is there again, but this time via the milder breath of Debussy. The pianists’ staccato in “Tria” (obviously, the third movement) is most appealing. Although it starts out as the scherzo of the set, it soon turns into a sort of late-afternoon swoon. The finale has no pretensions of anything remotely climactic; in keeping with Benham’s ethos, it is appealing, even lovely. Listen more carefully, though, and it appears it is not as predictable as it first seems (perhaps sharing that trait with Janáček, although couched in very different language). 

The Toccata: Pigeons on the Wires is a musical deception of wood pigeons trying to balance (and eventually succeeding) on a telephone wire near the composer’s study. Metric changes depict the intrepid balancing acts effectively. This is not a toccata that moves at any velocity, but it does maintain the idea of a hard “touch.” 

The short disc ends symmetrically, with another three-movement suite: Memoranda, subtitled “Three Wiltshire Scenes” (not “Wilshire” as the track listing has it). Starting with “A Clear View from Chapel Hill,” the music exudes easy charm, almost like a picture postcard of Wiltshire in summer might. “Rose Garden” refers to the composer’s grandparents’ garden, which is clearly a place of mystery as well as fragrance, if the music is anything to go by. The playing of the Ivory Duo is particularly sensitive here. Finally, “Canal Bridge,” more animated (I wonder if the upwards and downwards gestures refer to the shape of the bridge?). 

I have nothing but praise for the performance and recording here. The music perhaps depends on one’s state of mind; it is undemanding but skillful fare.