The brilliant Israeli Piano – Violin (mother-daughter) duo, Natasha Tadson Rimon and Hadar Rimon, gave an emotionally charged performance at the Dr. Earle de Fonseka Chamber Music Concert presented by the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, on April 3, at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. The program consisted of some of the best loved works in the repertoire for violin and piano. The concert opened with J.S. Bach’s Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No. 4 in C minor, BWV 1017. The listeners’ pleasure in enjoying some fine Bach playing was marred by the poor balance, with the piano overpowering the violin, particularly, in the first movement. The Sonata was written for Harpsichord and not the modern piano with its more powerful and resonant sound. It’s a pity that the duo did not consider having the piano lid half open for this work.
Next in the program was the 10th Violin Sonata Op. 96, by Beethoven, a unique work that stands apart from the rest of his works in the genre, due to its philosophical and contemplative nature. The hymn like slow movement is one of the most deeply felt self-contained pieces of music ever written. The Duo gave a compelling performance of the work, although at times their emphasis was on the more dramatic aspects of the composition than its essentially contemplative nature.
The artistes were both in their element in the gorgeous Sonata for Violin and Piano in E-flat major, Op. 18, by Richard Strauss, which opened the second half of the concert. Hadar’s violin soared high, ever so sweetly or passionately as demanded by the music with Natasha being the perfect partner, complementing the violin with a piano part which appears to have been conceived in orchestral terms. The operatic colouring evident throughout the work was ideally suited for the intensely romantic approach both players bring to their playing.
The final work, Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 2, provided for an explosion of virtuosity on stage by violinist Hadar Rimon, with pianist Natasha Tadson Rimon in perfect synchronization with her. It was a stunning close to one of the most satisfying chamber concerts in recent times, eliciting prolonged applause from the audience.
- Ajit Abeysekera