Monday, July 18, 2022

A Global Journey for Violin and Piano

Yesterday’s Old First Concerts recital at Old First Presbyterian Church was presented by the duo of violinist Basma Edrees and pianist Ava Nazar. The title of their program was somewhat convoluted: From Brahms to Piazzolla through Reza Vali. What this meant was that selected Vali compositions served to introduce more familiar offerings by Johannes Brahms, the Opus 100 (second) violin sonata in A major, and  Astor Piazzolla, “Le Grand Tango.”

Vali was born in Iran in 1952 and first studied music at the Conservatory of Music in Tehran. However, by 1985, he had received a doctoral degree in music theory and composition from the University of Pittsburgh, and he is now a faculty member in the School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University. His contributions to the program consisted of short movements, many of which reflected Persian folk influences. However, there was also a brief reflection on the “Silent Night” Christmas carol; and the Piazzolla selection was preceded by a “limping” tango in 7/8 time. The music could be appreciated for its novelty, but its substance was relatively thin.

Sadly, the more familiar selections both received weaker accounts in their respective performances. While Nazar presented, for the most part, a confident interpretation of the Brahms selection, Edrees tended to seem consistently hesitant in accounting for the violin part. Since this was Brahms, one could definitely enjoy the keyboard passages; but the spirit of a duo never established itself with much security. On the other hand, neither of the musicians managed to “get the spirit” of “Le Grand Tango,” whether it involved Piazzolla’s many unconventional tropes or the vigorous spirit that one encountered when Mstislav Rostropovich first recorded his performance of the composition, which was written for him.

Edrees and Nazar were both Masters candidates at the Juilliard School when they first began performing as a duo; but yesterday afternoon’s performance suggested that they are not yet “ready for prime time.”

No comments:

Post a Comment