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Phillip T Young Recital Hall
August 5, 2014
This was the last concert of the 2014 season of the Festival, attracting a full house clearly bursting with anticipation. During the pre-concert talk, Jonathan Crowe and Arthur Rowe took turns describing the evening's works and their composers. In response to a question from the audience, Crowe addressed a common question in many people's minds: Are members of symphony orchestras at liberty to do some freelancing on the side, e.g. as soloists or participants in ensembles? Answer: At least some orchestras actively encourage their members to broaden their musical horizons in this manner, considering that it also enhances the musical depth of the orchestras themselves.
The concert opened with the Sonata for violin and piano in G minor by Claude Debussy. This was his very last composition, and also his last appearance in concert as he accompanied violinist Gaston Poulet during the premiere. In comparison with various recordings of the piece, Rowe's piano seemed to overpower Crow's violin, a tendency also noted from time to time as the concert continued.
The works at the centre of the program were Prokofiev's Sonata in D major and Franck's Sonata in A major. The contrast between the two compositions is as stark as between the personalities of their creators. Sergei Prokofiev was cerebral and arrogant, prone to entering into conflict with his fellow students, fellow composers and not-so-fellow political masters in the USSR. César Franck showed humility, greatly admired the work of some of his peers, and was more inclined to soul-searching reflection. Their music mirrors their characters. In both sonatas there is an unrelenting change of keys, but while Franck's transitions follow a familiar harmonic path, Prokofiev's convey a sense of homelessness. That said, the themes in the first and fourth movements of Prokofiev's sonata are clever and memorable, yet some listeners may be forgiven for mentally re-painting them in Franck's harmonic colours.
The Piece for Violin and Piano by modern Canadian composer Claude Vivier followed after the intermission. His tragic life ended when, at the age of 34, he was murdered in his Paris hotel room by a male prostitute he had met that evening at a bar. The composition tests the violinist's skills in every technical aspect, including double stopping, pizzicato, extreme pianissimo and resounding fortissimo. A welcome challenge perhaps for someone of Jonathan Crow's calibre. His body language is expressive enough for even a deaf person to enjoy the music.
When the audience at the theatre or a poetry reading begins to nod off, it is time to consider relegating the masterpiece to oblivion. With music it is the other way around: Perfection is near when listeners are transported to a blissful nirvana, like those dreamlike, bucolic Sunday party scenes in dappled sunlight brought to canvas by Renoir. But a music lover attending a concert in the role of a critic must stay alert and pay attention to every detail in the structure and execution of the piece. In the case of César Franck's Sonata in A major for violin and piano, as performed by Crow and Rowe, this was not a sacrifice. The promised cyclic balance becomes apparent when the first of the two poignant themes introduced in the Allegretto ben moderato is echoed in the ferocious Allegro, and the second theme in the meditative Recitatio. The canonical interplay between the piano and the violin in the Allegretto poco mosso is so haunting that one is left humming the zesty melody all the way home. Even for a critic, it is difficult to imagine a more satisfying end to a glorious summer day.
The reaction of the audience was ecstatic. As an encore, the duo played a piece by Fritz Kreisler, a restful ending to a concert replete with dazzling texture and technique. The simple melody in a minor key tells a compelling story, perhaps about longing - but for whom? Or maybe about regret - but for what? Either way, does it really matter? It was a joy to hear as well as watch Crow's and Rowe's musical dialogue throughout the performance. Even if no program had been printed, the Soviet and French "flavours" of the repertoire would have been unmistakable: on the one hand dark and troubled, and on the other hand subtle, effortless and elegant.
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