On April 3 audiences in Sri Lanka will have the opportunity to hear a mother-daughter duo perform pieces by the most renowned classical composers at a Chamber Concert recital sponsored by the Dr. Earle de Fonseka Trust.
The acknowledged Hadar Rimon, violinist and Natasha Tadson, pianist, have been performing regularly in recitals and chamber concerts in Israel and abroad.
J.S. Bach’s sonata for violin and harpsichord in C minor, BWV 1017 is one of six sonatas for violin and harpsichord, considered some of Bach’s best chamber works. Referring to these compositions many years later, his son Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach wrote: “The six harpsichord trios are among my dear father’s best works. Even after more than 50 years, they still sound excellent, and are delightful”.
In 1812, the year Beethoven composed his tenth and final violin sonata, he wrote in his diary, “Everything that is called life should be sacrificed to the sublime and be a sanctuary of art.”
The relatively lyrical and subdued 10th sonata is in contrast to the tempestuous “Kreutzer” piano sonata. In this piece, Beethoven presents himself as a “kinder, gentler” composer, with a piece where pain and struggle are replaced by a mood of gentle lyricism.
Hadar will also perform Richard Strauss’ Violin sonata in E-flat Major, his last work of chamber music. In its structure and harmonic language, the sonata adheres to the classical form, but in its youthful exuberance and the sheer panache of the writing, it foreshadows the drama of his later symphonic poems.
Two shorter works are also on the program, Israeli composer Yehuda Zisapel’s “Song without words 13,” and Saint-Saens’ extremely popular concert showpiece, Rondo Capriccioso. Written for virtuoso Violinist Pablo de Sarasate, this masterful showpiece, with its brief opening, almost like an operatic recitative and a dazzling aria full of fireworks, immediately became standard virtuoso fare.
Hadar Rimon and Natasha Tadson will, yet again, entertain music lovers with their artistic prowess when they perform with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, under the baton of resident conductor Dushyanthi Perera. Virtuosi in Concert will take place at the Ladies’ College Hall, on April 7, at 7pm. Dushyanthi Perera, the conductor of Virtuosi in Concert, has established a reputation of considerable versatility for her inspirational direction of a diverse range of symphonic and lighter genre music.
Hadar Rimon will take on the difficult but guaranteed crowd pleaser, violin concerto by Tchaikovsky. Hadar says, she chose this particular concerto because it is one of her favourite pieces. She considers it “one of the most beautiful pieces for violin ever written”.
Natasha Tadson, who will perform the Grieg Piano concerto says, “Grieg’s Piano Concerto is a beloved piece for both, the soloist and the audience, but for me it holds a special memory of my professional career. It was the first Concerto I performed as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra when I was 18, together with conductor Paul Paray. It is a pleasure to return to it every time”.
The SOSL will also perform Saint-Saens Bacchanale from his opera Samson & Delilah. The Bacchanale is an exotic sounding piece, built on a series of crisp tunes, some influenced by the composer’s travels through the Middle East.
“Happy Birthday, SOSL” is composed by KalumNishyantha, a member of the SOSL’s brass section, who has performed with the orchestra for more than 25 years. This brief piece was written to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the SOSL.
Tickets and box plan are at the Lionel Wendt Theatre.