Canons

Maya Magub found a creative answer to pandemic lockdown isolation in what she describes as her “socially but not musically distanced canon collaborations”. The Los Angeles-based British violinist connected online with five string players on three continents, helping each to set up home studios and share the joy of recording Telemann’s Six Canonic Sonatas and captivating contrapuntal miniatures by Mozart. The canon, where one “voice” leads and the other responds after a fixed interval, proved the ideal form with which to beat the split-second delay that comes with online communication. Magub’s arrangements for strings of Mozart’s canons in two and three parts, recorded here for the first time, are delightful, their wit and charm magnified by high-spirited performances and a close-mic’d sound that ideally suits immersive listening through headphones.