Culture Vultures (III)

Violin Sonatas
Alexandru Tomescu, violin
Mary Ann Espina, piano


Tomescu opened the program with Mozart’s Sonata in F Major K 376. Mozart’s full maturity is on display here as the give-and-take conversation between the piano and violin is immediately apparent. The sonata isn’t just a piece meant for a virtuoso violinist since the composer gives the pianist a major work out as well. Mary Ann Espina is exceptionally good. This St. Scholastica alumnae is a revelation.

Mozart’s music is always light and lively with a clear melodic line. The composer’s zest and sense of joie de vivre shines through, with just a tint of nostalgia in the Andante second movement and rollicking Rondo in the final movement.

I got surprised by the Brahms sonata. When I first read the program, I didn’t think much about it, only to realize that it IS my favorite Brahms violin sonata (it is in A Major, I thought it was in D). First time I heard it over that born-again classical radio station DZFE back in college, Cecile Licad teamed up with her Curtis friend Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg. High romantic, nostalgic, lyrical and passionate at the same time, you’d wonder if words can ever match the tenderness and intimacy evoked by the piece. Bravo! The duo slightly lost rapport at the start of the final movement marked Allegrito gracioso quasi Andante but quickly recovered to seamlessly conclude this highly popular sonata.

Tomescu continued to reprise Brahms after the intermission by immediately launching into the frenzied opening bars of the Scherzo, matched splendidly by the thundering chords of Espina. The Romanian’s virtuosic range scaled new heights with Camille Saint-Saen’s Rondo Capriccioso and the extremely difficult and demanding La Campanella by Paganini. Pizzicato, harmonics, double-stops- a wealth of violin techniques were utilized to bring to the fore his exceptional talent and electrify the audience.

The slow and languid works are the ones, however, that got etched in my memory. Tomescu interpreted the Mozart Adagio in E Major as if it were composed during the time of the Romantics. Deeply felt and almost solemn-like, I think this was the piece closest to the violinist: he played his heart out.

Another reason why I really wanted to watch the recital was the inclusion of another favorite of mine, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise. Tender and passionate, the piece starts like a soft sob, progressing to a plaintive cry and ends in a quiet sigh. Absolutely beautiful.

Tomescu played Constancio de Guzman’s “Bayan Ko” as transcribed by the late Filipino conductor Redentor Romero (who was instrumental in bringing him to the Philippines in the first place, and has been coming back ever since), a fitting tribute to an audience that has come to appreciate his gifts.

For the encore, the Romanian treated the audience to a heart-stopping Sarasate and a piece I unfortunately, am unable to identify.