Concerts
Valeriy Sokolov and Evgeny Izotov
Monday 25th January 2010 at 7.30pm
Valeriy Sokolov (violin), Evgeny Izotov (piano)
Bach Sonata No. 4 in C minor BVW 1017
Schubert Grand Duo in A major D. 574
Prokofiev Five Melodies Op. 35
Prokofiev Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op. 80
‘ … not the slightest tension marred the impression he [Sokolov] gave of being totally at ease with his instrument. His absolute control of technique, his musical maturity, and above all an utter abandonment to the flow of the music made the fact that he was only sixteen completely irrelevant.’ Bruno Monsaingeon [French violinist, writer and filmmaker]
‘Without doubt, we are listening to an emerging great violinist’ La Presse de Montréal
The brilliant Ukrainian-born violinist Valeriy Sokolov is joined by his talented duo partner, Evgeny Izotov, for what will undoubtedly be a memorable evening of music-making. In 2004 the Sokolov came to international prominence with a film of him in recital with the pianist Svetlana Kosenko, Natural Born Fiddler. Its maker Bruno Monsaingeon was stunned by Sokolov’s abilities: ‘Since the days of David Oistrakh and Yehudi Menuhin, I didn’t imagine hearing again in my lifetime a sound gifted with such incandescence.’ The following year Sokolov became a triple prizewinner at the prestigious Georges Enescu International Competition. This is a concert not to be missed.
It opens with the baroque majesty of Bach’s C minor Sonata, described by the composer’s son Carl Philipp Emanuel as ‘among the best compositions of my dear departed father.’ Schubert’s Grand Duo is lyrical, boisterous and reflective in turn, and features delicious interplay between violin and piano. Originally conceived for wordless soprano, Prokofiev’s Five Melodies takes us across a remarkably varied musical landscape towards an ethereal close. The concert ends with the same composer’s First Sonata, a work of brooding intensity written for the legendary David Oistrakh.