Monday 29 August 2016

A charitable Frühwirth recital

A charity concert held at the KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in aid of PA Nepal and the Medical Aid Fund brought the renowned Austrian violinist David Frühwirth back to Malaysian shores in December 2015.

The programme opened with the first movement of Charles Auguste de Beriot’s Duo Concertante No 1 in G minor for 2 violins, with Frühwirth playing 1st violin and Liew Yen Nee on the 2nd violin. This was a good introduction to the evening as de Beriot fell into obscurity since his glory days as professor at the Brussels Conservatory between 1843 and 1852. This duet movement was delightful, with frequent alternations of the melodic line between Frühwirth and Liew.

The main feature of the evening was the following two pieces: Brahms' Scherzo in C minor (from the F.A.E. Sonata) and César Franck’s evergreen Violin Sonata in A major.


Accompanied by Ng Chong Lim, Frühwirth gave us a virile interpretation of the Brahms Scherzo with an upbeat speed that broadened out ever so slightly as the radiant C major “tierce di picardie” ending.

The true musical delight of the evening was the passionate performance of the Franck Violin Sonata. In this piece, Ng was an equal partner to Frühwirth, playing the opening movement at a lovely flowing pace. Frühwirth and Ng played the turbulent second movement with equal force and occasionally with some respite in the more tender moments.

The ruminative and improvisatory third movement saw both Frühwirth and Ng exploring especially extremes in pianissimo as well as use of high position notes on the violin by Frühwirth to very good effect.

The culmination of the sonata’s greatness is fulfilled by its canonic form as well as the cyclical form that Franck pioneered. Frühwirth and Ng brought the sonata to a grand conclusion, playing powerfully towards its magnificent ending.


The second half featured the Pastorale String Ensemble, conducted and led by Frühwirth from the violin in some pieces. Mendelssohn’s Vier Kinderstücke Op 72 and Haydn’s String Quartet Op 3 No 5 (1st movement) flanked Massenet’s Méditation from Thaïs and Kreisler’s Liebesleid, with Frühwirth playing wonderfully on his 1707 ex-Brüstlein Stradivarius.

The Kreisler was amazing in its suave Austrian delivery. Frühwirth was in his element here and the rubato and subtle Waltz inflections were just very close to Kreisler’s own rendition of a much loved favourite.

The hall resonance was lacking but the Stradivarius violin stood out in its full sonic glory. Sadly, the instruments of the Pastorale String Ensemble were poor and did not match well with Frühwirth’s violin.

The evening ended with McLean’s Tango and a Christmas encore.

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