ABERDEEN PERFORMING ARTS: CULTURE CAFÉ
KRYSIA OSOSTOWICZ: Violin
DANIEL TONG: Piano
BEETHOVEN PLUS 1
MUSIC HALL, ABERDEEN
Wednesday, 04 November 2015
Nowadays the idea of contemporary music covers a wider range of compositional styles than ever before and this year’s sound Festival has certainly stepped up to the mark in this respect. Last night’s organ recital by Roger Williams was at the more “adventurous” end of the spectrum. In the Music Hall on Wednesday we were taken almost to the opposite end with the first in a series of five concerts given by the chamber duo Krysia Osostowicz and Daniel Tong who will play all ten of Beethoven’s Sonatas for violin and piano, each one performed along with a companion piece composed to accompany it by a succession of contemporary composers.
Audience members who might be put off by the idea of contemporary music need not have worried. In this concert our two present day composers Jonathan Dove (b.1959) and Huw Watkins (b.1976) had written music that was immediately attractive and easily digestible.
Jonathan Dove is known especially for his work in the world of opera and for film music as well. His piece was entitled Ludwig Games and it was the companion piece to the first of Beethoven’s ten violin and piano Sonatas, Op. 12 No.1 in D Major.
The opening movement of Beethoven’s Sonata is marked Allegro con brio and Beethoven seizes at once on that word brio and writes a sizzling fanfare. That very opening gesture is what Jonathan Dove chose for his inspiration. Ludwig Games opened with upward runs on the piano with the violin disporting tunefully above. Lithe and limber playing from both artists responded nicely to the word Games which Jonathan Dove has in his title. This music was fresh and lively making a great start to the series.
Beethoven’s Sonata was dedicated to none other than Salieri who was nothing like as bad as a certain dramatist has painted him. The bright and breezy first movement lived up perfectly to Jonathan Dove’s introduction with wonderfully fresh sounding and fluent playing by Daniel Tong and lovely smooth and expressive playing from Krysia Osostowicz.
The second movement, a theme and variations, was even more fascinating. Here was a romantic opening theme followed by lightness with a spicing of good humour especially from the piano in the first variation, a minor section that was dramatic and stormy and then an attractively languorous final variation.
The final movement was a happy sounding rondo in which both players seemed to delight – and they took us all the way with them.
Beethoven’s Sonata No.5 in F Major Op. 24 is known as the Spring Sonata although this is a title that was attached to it after the composer’s death. Welsh composer and pianist Huw Watkins, currently Professor of Composition at the Royal College of Music in London, has called his companion piece Spring. Beethoven’s “Spring” Sonata is one of his most popular works known for its “relaxed lyricism”. Huw Watkins lived up to that idea with his companion piece. There was a lovely wide spanning melody on violin that could easily have been composed back in the 1930’s or before – something that enthusiasts of more “challenging” composition might find fault with. To them I say, I’m sorry, but I really liked it.
Who could fail to like Beethoven’s Sonata though with the lovely opening theme sung by the violin over a delicately played piano accompaniment? There is only slightly darker music to follow but the happy theme wins out in the end.
The slow movement had a warm sense of nostalgia about it nicely delivered by the duo and the short Scherzo was splendidly lively and witty. It made a fine introduction to the finale which had its moments of drama and agitation but was essentially happy too. You can understand why people wanted to call this work the Spring Sonata.
Krysia and Daniel will continue their musical odyssey tomorrow as part of the Lunchbreak Series when they will be in the Salvation Army Citadel at 12.45.
