Review | Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov masterful in Beethoven’s 10 violin sonatas, their playing shedding new light on composer’s emotional intentions
- Subtlety, crisp articulation, dexterity, masterful bowing and musicality were in evidence from the moment violinist and pianist began their musical marathon
- Over three concerts at the University of Hong Kong, the pair, long-standing chamber music partners, time and again made the right interpretative choices
Maurice Ravel famously said of his own Sonata for violin and piano that both instruments are “essentially incompatible”.
But when German violinist Isabelle Faust and Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov took to the stage of the Grand Hall of the Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre at the University of Hong Kong to perform the complete cycle of Beethoven’s 10 sonatas for piano and violin over the weekend, the long-standing chamber music partners proved their compatibility of sound and musicality many times over.
Their artistry revealed an array of tonal colour that brought many listeners closer to understanding Beethoven’s emotional intentions.
This was no more apparent than on Friday evening in the three early Op. 12 sonatas that Beethoven dedicated to his teacher Antonio Salieri.
As nods to Mozart and Haydn’s classicism they were superb. Phrasing was tapered and treated with great care by Faust and Melnikov from the very opening Allegro of the first sonata in D, and the subtleties in charm and wit were a delight.
Faust’s crisp and focused articulation was brilliant in the sonata’s Rondo finale, while Melnikov, as cool as a cucumber, poignantly accented the finer nuances of the rhythmic pulse.
From the opening Allegro of the second sonata in A, the duo’s dexterity was on full show. There was great swing in their playing, peppered with some cheekiness, culminating with controlled virtuosity in a jaunty finale.
Likewise, both musicians were on the same page in the Andante movements of the first two sonatas. Faust’s playing was no less than a masterclass in bow control and speed.
As she tastefully varied her sound, often vibrato-free, in the final variation of the first sonata’s Andante, the violinist – with Melnikov’s unfailing sensibility at the keys – pulled off a hushed and profound serenity.
Spirit came in spades in the opening of the final Op. 12 Sonata in E-flat. Faust’s laser-like articulation in the accompanying chug was expertly woven with Melnikov’s melodic lines, then passed back and forth with seamless ease.
Faust’s brilliant string crossing impressed again in the quick Rondo finale and the duo closed with a romp to remember before the intermission.
Inklings of their magic were revealed in their reading of the Adagio of the third sonata, but the sheer fantasy and the sublime easing of tempos (or rubatos) that came into play in the mighty and demanding Sonata No. 9 in A “Kreutzer” after the break was otherworldly.
The Adagio introduction was as free as it was colourful. Faust’s playing, ever focused and insightful, led to an unexpectedly steady Presto. In hindsight, though, that cleverly allowed more space for the “angriness” of the sudden attacks and sforzando releases, and the pedantic passages, to hit home.
In the Andante variation movement, virtuosity was passed from player to player like hot batons in a relay. Fine balance and clarity prevailed in the Presto finale and it was little wonder th at the excitement both musicians generated in their rendition of the “Kreutzer” brought Friday’s house down.
Saturday’s neat trilogy of Op. 30 Sonatas clearly signalled Beethoven’s parting of ways from his predecessors. It was Faust’s suave and sophisticated violin tone that shone in the heavenly Adagio of the sixth Sonata in A.
Even when Melnikov’s sound occasionally erred on the dominant side, it was merely fleeting. As Faust’s sound grew from the piano’s textures, she revealed even more depth to her tone palette, with extraordinary fluidity in her floating bowing – creating a flute-like effect.
The outer movements were sprightly and precise in their execution, revealing even more edgy restlessness in this set of Sonatas. Likewise, in the eighth in G, the articulation impressed in both outer Allegros. The latter one – marked Allegro vivace – was a virtuosic affair between Faust and Melnikov. Played at breakneck speed, it was laden with spot-on offbeat sforzandi and fabulous syncopation.
When it came to the duo’s treatment of the Sturm und Drang that pervades the seventh Sonata in C minor, its dissonances were milked until they practically hurt, and its explosive outbursts served as perfectly rude interruptions in the ethereal beauty of the Adagio cantabile movement. In the quirky Scherzo too, restless discomfort never let up and the accents were aptly angry.
The evergreen Sonata No. 5 in F “Spring” was a highlight of the Sunday matinee.
Although the violin’s thematic opening – in contrast to the previous four sonatas where the piano takes the lead – was beautifully hushed by Faust, it was unusually timid in execution. But as the Allegro movement’s interplay took shape, she enchanted again with her golden sound.
The Adagio was a true gem marked by highly refined and ethereal playing.
The trills that pervade the opening movement of Beethoven’s final Sonata No. 10 in G were as natural as could be, expertly synchronised by Faust and Melnikov. The long and luscious lines in the Adagio espressivo were heartfelt, and Faust’s rock-solid chords and double stops were executed to perfection in the Poco allegretto finale.
Is this musing and predominantly cheerful sonata the composer’s fitting farewell to the genre? Both artists believe so, a sentiment reinforced in a post-performance conversation onstage with HKU music chair Daniel Chua, when Melnikov said the work is an ideal, “That’s all folks!” from Beethoven.
Isabelle Faust & Alexander Melnikov: The Complete Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano. Venue: Grand Hall, Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong – March 31, April 1 & 2.
