The
first question I ask of a musician unknown
to me is: do I want to hear this artist again
in the foreseeable future. The German pianist
Florian Uhlig, who accompanied the young German
violinist Mirijam Contzen at her Wigmore Hall
recital debut, I know very well and regard
him highly. Sadly, I had missed Mirijam Contzen´s
London concert engagements with the London
Soloists. But knowing of her as one of Tibor
Varga´s star students, who won the International
Tibor Varga Violin Competition in 1993, when
she was only 16, and who plays chamber music
with some of the most eminent instrumentalists
of our time, led me to have high expectations.
However, after the first half of this recital,
I felt betrayed and deeply depressed to the
point of even considering leaving. But, I
stayed and experienced what I had hoped for.
Mirijam Contzen showed her true potential
as a great artist and a fine musician, whom
I now want to hear many more times.
What
went wrong in the first half? It was certainly
a combination of many factors. The programming
for the first half looked ambitious on paper,
but it didn’t prove to be ideal. Both artists
had put a lot of thought into the structure
of their programme. "We were very keen
to choose a programme which is marked by contrast.
The combination of classical works with compositions
from the 20th century presents a challenge,
giving way to reciprocal effects through which
the innermost core of the work is portrayed.
We have attempted to include within the programme
pieces, which penetrate into the depths of
life – with all its extremes. Works, which
speak of vigour and energy as well as of serenity,
thus leading the listener into his own inner
world." That sounds acceptable, eve if
highly intellectual.
To
start a recital with Mozart, however, in this
case with the second of the lesser known six
early `Mannheim´ sonatas in E flat KV 302,
is dangerous. Mozart is a killer and should
never be used as an opening piece, especially
if one considers the acoustical circumstances
in a more than half empty Wigmore Hall – something
Florian Uhlig should know about. To have the
piano lid at its highest opening position
and to place the violinist as close as possible
next to the pianist does not give the necessary
freedom for both instruments to interact and
to blossom. Mozart asks for utmost clarity
and pearl like beauty. But Mirijam Contzen´s
intonation was from the beginning thin - even
scratchy. Far too often her playing was overshadowed
by the piano and there were some unnatural
tempi changes giving the occasional wrong
romantic flavour.
To
follow Mozart they chose Shostakovich´s monumental
late Sonata for Violin and Piano in G op.134,
an incredibly sophisticated and complex work,
but also one that is very intimate, highly
emotional and in no way easily accessible
for any audience. He began to write this sonata
in 1945, but did not finish it until 1968,
dedicating it to David Oistrach, who gave
the world premiere on May 3rd 1969. Hidden
behind the solutions of a demanding compositional
technique we are confronted with Shostakovich´s
meditative late style reflecting his loneliness
and his difficulties as a composer under Stalin´s
dictatorship. Any interpretation has to have
the kind of involvement, where the music,
its cries and the desperations speak through
the body. But with Mirijam Kontzen I had the
constant feeling that she distanced herself
from the music, stood next to it and did not
`penetrate into the depth of life´. I kept
being reminded of a quotation from Goethe´s
"Faust": "Unless you
feel it, you will never achieve it. / If it
doesn´t flow from your soul / with natural
easy power / your listeners will not believe
it."
After
the interval an entirely different Mirijam
Contzen appeared, fully involved and producing
the most beautiful violin sound. She surprised
everybody with "Theme and Variations"
by Messiaen, a rarely heard work of astonishing
grandeur and organ like richness, which he
had written, when he was only 24. Finally,
Beethoven´s "Kreutzer" Sonata in
A op.47, a touchstone for both pianist and
violinist and a vibrant firework display of
nearly 40 minutes, which in its first edition
contained the description `scritta in uno
stilo molto concertante, quasi come d´un concerto´,
showed two great musicians in their element.
They harmonized and took risks – yet a still
quite stormy relationship also promised great
results. An encore turned out to be the ultimate
highlight: a virtuoso piece by Bartok, articulated
with immense temperament and full- blooded
intonation. Tibor Varga would have been proud
of his former student. One last thought on
how to programme those works in a far more
unorthodox, and from an audience point, more
accessible way: Messiaen – Beethoven - Shostakovich
– Mozart!
Hans-Theodor
Wohlfahrt
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