The audience was pitifully small in number, but extra-large in its appreciation.
Two encores and a curtain call just about sated their appetite for these two extravagantly gifted Finnish musicians' talents. In Olli Mustonen's case, it was his skills both as composer and pianist that were on display, with his Sonata for violin and piano sounding anything but a minor work alongside pieces by heavyweights Beethoven, Stravinsky and Ravel.
As the concert's opener, Beethoven's Violin Sonata in A major had the air of a familiar listen setting the scene for more adventurous successors, its slow movement's distinctive theme being played with the soulfulness that seems to come as standard from Pekka Kuusisto and violin and piano romping towards its jolly finale. Stravinsky's Duo concertant and Ravel's Violin Sonata in G major, both played with mastery, a sense of drama, lots of colour and a keen edge, added to the impression this duo wouldn't play the same programme the same way twice.
There's a real feeling of music being created in the moment with these two, even with scores on their music stands, and it was particularly pronounced in Mustonen's own piece. From the eerie opening solo violin patterns, it managed to combine tension and a certain elasticity of time and Mustonen's arrival, playing highly rhythmical minimalist phrases, introduced an almost swing-like momentum. If the thought of new work kept classical stalwarts away, they were too easily scared. This is strong writing, vivacious and lyrical and to hear the whispered tenderness that Kuusisto brought to the final simple motif was worth the trip to Perth in itself.
HHHH
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