The first time the violinist Maxim Vengerov came to my attention, he was pictured in the print version of the New York Times. Eyes closed and leaning back with his violin like Jimmy Page, he had a soulful, intense look on his face and was clearly caught up in a rapturous moment. This of course was a full-on orchestral concert and he was surrounded by other musicians. The conductor’s scowl clearly expressed his disdain for the emotional histrionics on display. I was an instant fan and I had that photo on my refrigerator for a good while.
It took me years to finally catch Vengerov in concert. This is because I’m somewhat inept at following the musicians that I enjoy – it seems that I’m always reading about a concert the day after it happens. Also, Vengerov took a hiatus from playing in public due to an injury, and he made a new career out of conducting and giving master classes. His recent history is a little complicated. When I read about it now, it seems like there may have been two hiatuses.
Vengerov, presumably in his swashbuckling, romantic heyday.
But several months ago, I hit the jackpot when I saw he would be playing at Carnegie Hall in a featured concert, just him and his piano accompanist, Roustem Saitkoulov. He also played a few selections by himself. Solo violin concerts are a bit of a different animal from a typical orchestral concert. There are more idiosyncratic works – pieces that are mainly known to fiddlers and their audience. Then of course there are the pyrotechnics and the encores – that's the super awesome part.
The concert began with a stately Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Opus 108 by Johannes Brahms (1888). As a rock and blues musician, it’s a little confusing for me to hear such a serene mood sustained in the opening number of a concert, but this piece worked well in the overall arc of the performance. I was completely unfamiliar with it but I will revisit it. George Enescu’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in F Minor, Opus 6 (1889) was up next, and this work took the night’s music to another level. Again, an unfamiliar work but seemingly more strident and well suited to a very large hall. The work is a violin staple.
After the intermission, Maurice Ravel’s, Violin Sonata (1927) brought the evening a little further into the recent past or at least the past of only a century ago. The unusual textures and harmonies were evident and it was clear that this was a modern work although keyed in a melodic, resonant tonal space. Heinrich Ernst’s (1814-1865) “The Last Rose of Summer” was next and by this time the atmosphere was more relaxed and intimate. Composed in the last year of his life, the title would appear to be apt.
Nicolo Paganini’s (1782-1840) “I Palpiti,” composed in 1819, was another violin specialty that Vengerov gave his impassioned treatment to. There were several encores, including one of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, which was a treat. By this time, Vengerov would announce the names of the pieces in his soft, heavily accented voice. There seemed to be a hint of descreet amplification at work. Otherwise, it’s doubtful that Maxim would have been heard when he made his announcements.
It was at this time that amazing virtuosic playing became the order of the day, and Vengerov did several tricks that seemed humanly impossible. One included what appeared to be the plucking of a second pizzicato melody while engaged in playing fast, difficult long runs up and down the violin’s fingerboard. A sustained, ethereal sound appeared at times, very high and pure. Maxim Vengerov’s violin, the ex-Kreutzer Stradivarius built in 1727, was in its element, in the hands of its rightful owner, in the right hall, and with the right audience, which would be to say, people who had come out to see some superstar quality fiddling. The arc of the evening was complete. -Christian Botta
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