Janácek, Mozart, Tartini, Ysaÿe and Beethoven: Hilary Hahn (violin) and Valentina Lisitsa (piano). Wigmore Hall, London. 12.5.2007 (ED)

 

There can be little doubt that this recital was destined to place Hilary Hahn’s much praised talents as a violinist centre-stage at Wigmore Hall, with a programme of five demanding and diverse sonatas.

Janacek’s sonata of 1914 is in some respects a strange choice to open a bravura programme with, as for much of its duration the work steadfastly refuses to be pinned down in terms of mood. Hilary Hahn and Valentina Lisitsa conveyed much of the work’s inner restlessness effectively by contrasting bold statements in the first movement with playing of more conventional lyricism later on. The second movement conjoured effortlessly the impression of a wide panoramic view across a sun-dappled landscape, whereas the third was inflected with rustic dance qualities that made it spring to life.

As a work, Mozart’s sonata in A, K.305, by contrast offers other demands to its performers. An early work, it largely relies upon purity of tone from the violinist across its two brief movements. Coupled with this comes the requirement for sensitivity with dynamic nuance in the piano part, which was amply present in Valentina Lisitsa’s playing. The second movement in particular, with its closely constructed argument of theme and variations was especially effective, as a discreetly specific ambiance was found for each facet of the writing.

Tartini’s sonata in G minor, “The Devil’s Trill”, had Hilary Hahn’s technical assurance well to the fore in this performance. However, for those willing to listen past the required display of virtuosic technique, there was much in the way of musical interpretation to enjoy also. The first movement was marked by Hahn’s willingness to slowly build the grandeur of her statements, whereas the second movement had piquant moments of rhythmic inflection. The closing movement, which contains the infamous trill, saw it integrated into the whole, following as a logical progression from all that had gone before. The grand andante which opens the movement led to a deliciously forward-moving allegro, dispatched with much elegance of phrasing, with the crowning trill finding much precision and authority in Hahn’s playing.

Rather like Janacek’s sonata, Ysaÿe’s second solo sonata – dedicated to Thibaud – acts as a kind of meditation on different moods. Darkly coloured, it moves from obsession and melancholia to shadowy dances and an invocation of the Furies. Each was carefully explored by Hahn in a reading that, like the Tartini, showed as much care for the shaping of the piece as its technical dispatch.  Her instrument projected brightly lit tone in the upper register with ease, which was linked to a rich mid-range and a slightly other-worldly lower range. All of which brought home the impression that Ysaÿe’s sonata still makes for a slightly unusual virtuoso calling-card. Underneath its outer layer of melancholia though lie ties to earlier composers: Bach and Gluck. Hahn made their presence felt within the overall structure by inference rather than overt statement, which said much for her understanding of Ysaÿe’s intentions.

Beethoven’s sonata in A, op.47, “Kreutzer”, brought the programme to a conclusion. If one thought that Hahn might be flagging after the preceding demanding items, she showed that she still had more to give. With emphatic determination she and Valentina Lisitsa set about delivering a large-scaled reading of the work. The first movement had a grandeur of sweep to its long lines that was particularly apt. If the second movement found a little clarity of fingering and definition required in the piano part, it was a relatively minor desire compared to the imposing contribution made during the closing movement.

 

Evan Dickerson