Having played and recorded the major Romantic violin sonatas and
concertos, Midori traverses a different path with this disc of less
well-known twentieth century violin sonatas. She elucidates her choice by
saying that “these are three works that interweave the anxieties of
the modern world condition with much hope for the future. In the end the
music fills us with a great feeling of warmth and compassion while not
shying away from what must be confronted.”
One can discern a
logical thread running throughout. The composers here were extricating
themselves from the shackles of late-Romanticism and its reliance on the
Germanic template. They looked rather to their own cultures to find personal
expression. It is this highly individualistic stance which attracted the
violinist to these works, whose narrative affirms a new age.
Ernest Bloch had a particular penchant for solo string music; indeed
he had studied the violin with none other than the great Belgian violinist
Eugène Ysaÿe. His Sonata No 2
Poème mystique dates
from 1924. Cast in a single movement, the sonata is rhapsodic and visionary
in form. Bloch employs a more compact style than in the First Sonata, and
the musical ideas are condensed into one organic entity. As in many of his
other compositions, a Jewish consciousness suffuses the music.
Midori’s purity of tone and immaculate intonation set the tone for
what is to follow. Both violinist and pianist sustain the improvisatory
narrative throughout, and have the range of colour and expression required
to project a canvas such as this. There is an other-worldliness and deep
spirituality too, echoing Bloch’s own sentiments “the world as
it should be: the world of which we dream”.
By all accounts, the Janáček Violin Sonata underwent a
lengthy gestation process. Begun in 1914, it was only published in 1922, and
then only after several revisions. It is well represented on disc and is
being taken up by violinists as well as being programmed more regularly. A
four movement work, Midori and Aydin successfully highlight the contrasts
between the movements. There is drama and passion in the first movement. The
tension generated is palpable. The dialogue established between the players
underpins the improvisatory character of the music, which you feel is being
created on the wing. The second movement
Ballada, in contrast, is
marked by tenderness, eloquence and a pervading nostalgia. After a
well-characterized scherzo-like movement, the sonata ends with a rhapsodic
adagio, where tensions never seem to be assuaged or resolved.
The thread of the human condition is picked up again in
Shostakovich’s only violin sonata. Composed in 1968, it was dedicated
to his great friend, David Oistrakh. It was given its premiere the following
year by Oistrakh and Sviatoslav Richter. An air of pessimism, despondency
and gloom permeates the work, with Shostakovich, nearing the end of his
life, pondering old age and death. Throughout, tone rows straddle the work
and assert a place in the sonata, almost in defiance of the Soviet
authorities, who condemned such practices. Midori and Aydin relate the
anguish and melancholy of the dark, autumnal landscape of the first
movement. The second movement, a kind of scherzo, is characterized by
violent, brusque declamation. The tortuous anguish and sheer visceral energy
conveyed by these two players is further emphasized by the pulsating
rhythmic drive which underlies this deeply unsettling music. The percussive
piano chords form a backdrop to the violin’s stabbing interjections.
The final movement is in the form of a passacaglia. It almost depicts a
composer coming to terms with his fate and the tragedy of life.
These are very fine performances by two players who not only have an
affinity for this repertoire, but play with a shared purpose. They listen to
each other and appear to be on the same wavelength, delivering performances
which are compelling and captivating. The sound quality and balance between
the two instruments could not have been bettered. With excellent booklet
notes in English, German and French, this recording is marked with
distinction.
Stephen Greenbank
