Recital (1/4/2014)

The recital consisted of Ayako Yonetani, violin, with Evan Solomon, piano. Saturday afternoon began with Sonata for Violin and Piano in D major, Op. 5 No. 1, Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713), Grave-Allegro, Allegro, Allegro, Adagio, Allegro; followed by Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 7 in c minor, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), Allegro con brio, Adagio cantabile, Scherzo: Allegro, Finale: Allegro, Presto; Suite from the Incidental music for Violin and Piano, Much Ado About Nothing, Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957), Scene in the Garden; and Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, César Franck (1822–1890), Allegretto ben moderato, Allegro, Ben moderato: Recitative-Fantasia, Allegretto poco mosso.

A brief announcement from the stage informed us that the Corelli was the kickoff of the repertory. The first movement was an extended introduction, the second and third were more open and transparent, and the fourth worked better, in my opinion, because of the slower tempo and the way that the melody was nicely presented. The final movement began with solo violin that was then joined by the piano—mirroring the layout of the second movement. Overall, I enjoyed the work though there was some dry, patchy playing from the violinist.

The Beethoven had a fairly dramatic opening and was more of a violin and piano partnership, a much more solid composition that finished strongly. The second movement had a piano introduction that was then joined by the violin, outlining the opening phrases. As it was somewhat predictable, it didn’t really engage my interest. The third movement had very segmented, repetitive phrases, while the fourth ended briskly and brightly.

Korngold is known to me mostly as a composer of film scores, and this work had a cinematic arc to it—very tuneful, with a sense of forward motion, on an even keel. My notes include: set out to be pretty, and succeeded, including a sweet interlude.

Franck’s violin sonata is very Romantic in nature, though not cloying. Here, as throughout the afternoon, the pianist was a very attentive partner. The second movement, especially, had a roiling accompaniment supporting lyrical violin phrases, creating a sense of yearning (at least to me). An expansive section followed—almost like flight—returning to a gentle state and then finishing with a frantic burst. The third movement had introductory phrases “lying in wait”—lightly touched upon—and also included a return to some of the earlier yearning themes. The last movement had a sunny and joyous theme followed by brief interludes, but that theme keeps returning. Then the piano joins in, as well, with the repeated theme, and finally all of the main themes put in an appearance. I know that I’ve included an audio link of this last movement in the past. At any rate, I urge you to explore the internet and search it out for yourselves.

This wasn’t the most polished recital I’ve heard, but once again, the fact that interesting music is available free of charge in NYC is a true joy. It’s making for a happy new year already!

ConcertMeister