Delightful Concert By Violinist

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31094, 24 June 1966, Page 12

Delightful Concert By Violinist

The American violinist, Ruggiero Ricci, played in the Civic Theatre last evening to a large audience which should have been larger still, for his playing was a delight from start to finish of his excellent programme.

He, and his associate artist, Miss Janetta McStay. began the concert with Mozart’s Sonata No. 15 in B flat. K. 454. The introduction to the first movement was meditative and was played with dark and rich tone; and then the allegro sang in gay and sparkling sounds, resonant, mellow, and full of vitality, flowing in a lovely legato stream. The andante was played with an outpouring of warming and beautiful tone moulded with mastery of nuances into most graceful phrases. The allegretto brought back the happy and serene atmosphere of the first movement and it, too, was played with a clear and expressive tone that had plenty of feeling and not a trace of sentimentality. There was excellent balance between both instruments at all times, and Miss McStay contributed in full measure to the elegance and life of the music. Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in

D minor is a work of massive proportions and was played with a depth of romantic sentiment expressed with golden tone. The mobility of the shapely construction of the first movement was brought out with broad sweeps of sound and every decorative detail shone in the best possible light. The magic quality of Ricci’s tone and his command of expression held the audience in close bonds throughout the adagio movement. The scherzo had an airy grace and a movingly expressive ending. Broad and firmly based structure marked the finale. The softer parts were played with tender touch, and there was a rounded grandeur in the rest.

The second part of the programme began with a work for solo violin, “Invention,” by Benjamin Lees, an American composer. This was written recently, for Mr Ricci and could not be in safer hands. It is a most attractive work in rhapsodic form exploring a multitude of technical devices, but always turning them to musical meaning. Through the flashing acrobatics there is a prevailing atmosphere of gentle melancholy and the message of the music comes quite clearly and convincingly with a succinctness that suggests that although there are many notes there are just enough. Debussy’s Sonata in G minor had its fascinating qualities brought out vividly in a most sensitively responsive performance. Lovely wispy sounds were heard in the first movement, and throughout the work the variety of the timbres used — all with beautifully singing quality—held the closest attention. It was a deeply-felt poetic interpretation from both performers. The complicated roulades in the violin part all came with glittering clarity and there was a magnificent rhythmic grip at all times. Splendid tour de force playing it was. Ravel’s “Tzigane” ended the programme with passionate fervour. The long introduction on the violin had stirringly summoning urgency of appeal evoking visions of landscape as well as of a type of living. Dance forms of complicated patterns and colourings followed in vivid profusion, all vitally attractive and played with'the brilliance of several Guy Fawkes’ Days all exploding simultaneously. —C.F.B.