Perhaps it was the sudden heat that invited the coastal walk, the fact that it was held on a Saturday or, hopefully not, the coincidence with other mass televised events, but the fact is that the turnout was very low, although the enthusiasm and applause to some extent, they made up for the emptiness of a concert that deserved a larger audience. Anyway, we enjoyed a wonderful group that did its recognized prestige, perfectly composed and built on an interpretive rigor worthy of being appreciated.
Exclusively with strings, they gave away a rich triptych, more varied than it seems in the light of the authors of the pieces performed: Mendelssohn, Weinberg and Schubert, with the taste spices of the enjoyment of the musical quality of the 18-year-old violinist Rino Yoshimoto, a last minute substitute by Artur Kaganovskiy, who was unable to speak for unforeseen reasons of a personal nature. In light of what we’ve heard, we’re not losing. Yoshimoto offered several virtues, but perhaps the most notable, the adaptation to the spirit of each piece.
We can agree that when judging a performance, in addition to the warmth of the sound, the clean touch and the technical richness, and placing it in the right degree, we should appreciate the study that the performer seems to have carried out, from the respect for the spirit with which the work was conceived, to show its expressive capacities. From that point of view, and taking into account the great treasure of Mendelssohn’s ‘Violin Concerto in D m’ at the then French violin school, Yoshimoto’s sound result could not have been more rounded. Composed at age 13 and for string orchestra, as this was supposed to be the staff the Mendelssohn family had during their Sunday concerts, it follows a series of formal structures similar to the concerto grosso, with ripienos and solos not necessarily variation from one another; powerful and penetratingly sung legatos of 12 or 16 sounds; detachés in rapid movements; alternating staccatos with tied and loose bows; dotted rhythms; broad ligatures, mordents, etc. And all this, and most importantly, wrapped in a powerful sound that dramatizes the minor key, so rare in classicism, and that Yoshimoto managed to reproduce in all its dimensions.
Van Weinberg, an emerging composer, offered Yoshimoto a much deeper reading of his “Concertino on 42,” which has a beautiful first beat and a second movement that is challenging for the performer. All that in Mendelssohn was freshness and strength became pain and dark, meditative and deep coloraturas in a more than remarkable exercise in sound symbolism.
To confirm mastery, Yoshimoto offered a category encore, the last of the ‘Paganini Caprices’ that Rachmaninov used as an excuse for the variations of his Rhapsody, opus 43 for piano and orchestra. Virtuosity at the highest level that reached almost magical levels in his small hands.
Finally, Mahler’s version of Schubert’s Quartet ‘Death and the Maiden’, which served as sound reproduction for the until then perfectly compensated orchestra. A full Schubert full of contrasts and balances. Romantic and delicate at the same time, but full of drama and depth, which acquired perfectly achieved moments of sublimation in the hands of a rigorous orchestra.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
