THE STRAD RECOMMENDS
The Strad Issue: January 2011
Description: Deeply thought readings of music violin by Dvorák and his son-in-law Suk
Musicians: Antje Weithaas (violin) Silke Avenhaus (piano)
Composer: Dvorák, Suk
Dvo?ák’s Capriccio hasn’t had a lot of luck. Although probably intended to become a concerto it got no further than this violin and piano work, which nobody wanted to publish. It’s a jolly piece when it gets going, with a stomping double-stopped dance in the middle that could have come straight from a Prague tavern, and lot of flashy passagework, that Antje Weithaas dispatches with glee. She and Silke Avenhaus give an open-hearted account of the F major Sonata, with steel to balance the exuberance of the first movement, delightfully nuanced tone and phrasing in the central Poco sostenuto, and vivid contrasts of vigour and delicacy in the finale. The G major Sonatina that ends the disc is given its due as having more to it than easy surface charm. There is thought and wit here, depth of feeling and magical delicacy in the central movement.
Two works by Dvo?ák’s pupil and son-in-law Josef Suk separate these three pieces. Suk’s Four Pieces op.17 occupy a world where passion and turbulence leaven Bohemian exuberance, and there are sombre tones in Weithaas’s playing, with moments of vehemence. The Balada is a student work, dark and full of angst, played by Weithaas with rich tone and sobbing phrasing. The recording is close and well-balanced.
TIM HOMFRAY
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