Midday Masterpieces (3/7/18)

Bomsori Kim, violin; Chang-Yong Shin, piano

Sonata for Violin & Piano, Op. 11, No. 1 – Paul Hindemith
Six Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op.79: No. 1, Souvenir; No. 5, Tanz-Idylle; No. 6, Berceuse – Jan Sibelius
Sonata No. 2 in G major for Violin and Piano – Maurice Ravel
Caprice d’apres l’etude en forme de Valse, Op. 52, No. 6 – Camille Saint-Saëns/Ysaÿe

The Hindemith, written when he was only twenty-two years old, opened energetically, followed by a lovely lyrical section. These alternated back and forth and included a martial section as well. The second and final movement led off with a slower, slightly more atonal section that morphed into a very pretty tune, though sticking with an atonal feel that was at times both haunting and quietly dramatic. I enjoyed it a great deal.

Ms. Kim and Mr. Shin played movements #1, #5, and #6 of the Sibelius and they played very well throughout the entire afternoon concert. It was Romantic in nature and tone (rich, lush sounds), with some very pretty song-like sections that almost veered into schmaltzy, but in a nice way. The fifth had a rippling piano accompaniment against a lightly energetic tune in the violin that expanded into a brisk section before relaxing again. The lightly rocking rhythms of the sixth put me in mind of Erik Satie—very easy and fun to listen to.

After retuning, the Ravel began with modern and angular phrases—a mix of impressionism and jazz—that moved into a tricky section with very short bowing phrases that went on for quite a while. The second movement opened with a pizzicato solo for the violin that was then joined by the piano. It also included a jazzy, off-kilter tune set against a vamp rhythm in the piano. It sort of reminded me of Gershwin. This was followed by a lot more pizzicato playing that seemed almost angry at times before concluding with a very strange ending. The third movement had a brief introduction that led into a perpetual motion section that was like a manic Flight of the Bumblebee. The relentless rhythms were quite a tour de force, though the final outcome seemed less than satisfying to me.

Eugène Ysaÿe was a virtuoso nineteenth-century violinist who also composed and arranged the works of other composers, in this case, Saint-Saëns. After several false introductions (that were really in the Caprice score—not mistakes), we got to the actual waltz theme and its variations, all in three-quarter time, with lots of virtuosic playing, fingering, and bowing. There was a brief piano interlude before reintroducing a lyrical section that I liked a lot. There were also very dramatic sections that I liked less. It was essentially an over the top piece, by design, that didn’t really do it for me. That pretty much summed up my feeling for the Polonaise that was played as an encore. Alas, I haven’t been able to suss out the composer. But I’ll keep trying. And I’ll keep attending Midday Masterpieces in the future. Thank you, WQXR.

ConcertMeister