The violin must be one of the most intimate musical instruments there is. It can prolong its tone and by the suitable use of the pressure upon the string together with or independently of the use of the up and down movement of the bow it can even cause variations in the tone of the note and occasionally, its strings might be plucked to produce a strong short but duller sound. Sometimes, two strings can be bowed together and sometimes, one can slide one's finger down the string to produce a continuously changing tone, something Indian musicians have learned to do long ago. Add to that the variation in speed and rhythm of the bow which can be used sometimes to hit on the string instead of grating on it and you have one of the most versatile musical instrument there is. The piano on the other hand is something all different. It's supposed to be a percussive instrument but the addition of the pedal can prolong the duration of a note so that the sound of the previous note can linger on as a background to the next string of fast notes, thus adding immensely to the richness of complexity of the combined sound and since theoretically, each hand can play 5 notes at the same time, very rich harmonies or disharmony can be produced and combined with the different sections of the keyboards being hit or pressed at the same or different times by the two hand, together with modern technique of increasing the force of the note hit by raising the tension of the wires, a very powerful yet if needed very delicate and smooth almost continuous sound can be produced. In short the violin and the piano seem made for each other. When you got a good violinist and a good pianist who each pays attention to the sound of the other, it's can have the kind of sound which ought to be heard only in heaven. The concert last night by Kyung-wha Chung and her piano accompanist Kevin Kenner seems more like a duo than a violin soloist with a keyboard accompanist. The violinist was was almost perfect. But the photos on the cover of the programme notes was a bit misleading. Chung with her now bob-hair and Kenner with much less hair on his head. But appearances are always deceptive. We're not there to see a spectacle: we're there to listen to the music and what music! Save for the first movement of the first piece in which the piano sounded much louder than was really necessary in some passages so that the duo seem to be playing against instead of with each other, I have absolutely no complaint. Perhaps Kenner was testing the acoustics of the concert hall because the hall was nearly packed full with people as he thought some of the sound might be absorbed by so many human bodies, so he played louder than was needed. Whatever the reason might be, despite her age ( my friend told me she's already 65! She certainly doesn't look the slightest bit her age. Perhaps her passion for music is the secret of her youth? ), Chung played with energy and verve but not without delicacy and lyricism, just the kind of music one would expect from Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 5 in F, Op 24, written in 1801, commonly called 'The Spring Sonata" in Allegro, Adagio molto expressivo, Scherzo (Allegro Molto) and Rondo (Allegro ma non troppo). After she played the first movement, some ignorant students started to clap, perhaps out of good intention. She appeared slightly annoyed (who wouldn't?) and used her bow and her brows to signal her protest. Just like her. I like that.
Our second piece of the evening was another beautiful sonata. Edvard Grieg's Violin Sonata in C Minor, Op 45, his third, written in 1887 . It plunged headlong right into the music from the very first strong and forceful notes but the second movement was simply beautifully Norwegian and final forceful and exciting. Again, Chung's rendition was perfect. I simply love the way she poured herself into the music. When she's playing, the world doesn't seem to exist for her: there's only she and her violin, apart of course, from the sound emanating from the piano with whom she had to carry on a dialogue. Sometimes, she would unconsciously stamp her feet on the stage floor board because of she felt the need to emphasize the strength of her passion evoked in her by the music
After the break, Chung played for us Mozart's delightful and slightly gypsy-like Violin Sonata in G K 379 in Adagio, Allegro and then Andantino cantabile. Chung gave it a very romantic interpretation, emphasizing the contrast between the strong and softer strings of notes . Not your typical delightful and beautifully poised notes of the conventionally classical Mozart but a Mozart with a bit Beethoven mixed in. It's always good to hear a different kind of interpretation. Why else should we have musicians if every performer were to play exactly the same way according to the so-called accepted rules. We might just as well have some electrically produced pre-programmed computer sound like those from a synthesizer!
The last piece of the evening was something different again. it's a piece by the French composer César Franck (1822-1890), his Violin Sonata in A in Allegretto ben moderato, Allegro, Recitativo--Fantasia" Ben moderato--molto lento and Allegro poco mosso. It's a most romantic piece with certain unusual transitional notes its main theme varied in intenisty and moods. It sounded more like a duo than a piece just for the violin.
Chung appeared to be most delighted with her reception. To show her appreciation, she gave us 3, no at the very last curtain call, she halted herself in the middle of moving again into stage left and upon the whim of the moment, gave us a 4th encore. Imagine that! Needless to say, she has become my violin diva! Bravissima Chung!
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