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Hilary Hahn plays her heart out on 'Six Sonatas for Violin Solo, Op.27' by Eugene Ysaye / SPECTRUM CULTURE

SPECTRUM CULTURE's Konstantin N. Rega writes…..If you don’t particularly like a song, is it the composer or the musician at fault? Has the musician misinterpreted the score and failed to capture the beauty another artist might glimpse and exhibit? Or is the composition the weak link? Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn has the talent, the experience and the passion to turn out an album that is incredible; after all, she’s recently been named the New York Philharmonic’s Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence for ’23-24. However, her latest release, Six Sonatas for Violin Solo, Op.27, highlighting the work of Belgian composer and violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, is less than stellar…and it’s not really her fault.

Ysaÿe has been called “The King of the Violin,” though one can perhaps picture Lithuanian-American violinist Jascha Heifetz glowering in a dark corner at the designation. One of those genius virtuosos, Ysaÿe had a successful career as a musician and teacher—his friends included Debussy, Saint-Saëns and Liszt, and he was the music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, 1918-22. His compositions, though, are perhaps less widely known and played. His Six Sonatas for Violin Solo, Op.27, written a hundred years ago in 1923 and dedicated to his fellow musicians, are what he’s known for and have become a staple of string music.

The first sonata in G minor starts off a bit dramatically. As in, a bit too dramatic. It is not particularly pretty. It seems strained, almost in pain, as if it’s working through some inner conflict. Unlike the works of Corelli, who really does deserve the title of the “King of Strings” (for his {12 Concerti Grossi, Op. 6} alone), this is much more modern. There’s a distancing from the romantic era with a harsher sound that startles the listener, that is meant to be a bit jagged. Hilary Hahn plays this very well. If you look at other performances, hers is similar in style, so one certainly cannot fault her for playing what’s been written down.

If you’re in the classical music world—or with only a foot or hand in it—Bach’s Partitas will ring familiar. They are to violinists what Chopin’s Nocturnes are to pianists: essential material. Hahn covered two of them (No. 2 and No. 3) in her 1997 album. And where Bach is light and fun, Ysaÿe is heavy and a tad serious. These six sonatas are known for taking quite a toll on those who dare to play them. Ysaÿe really should have taken some notes from his buddy Debussy and the other French impressionists and created something a bit more beautiful, something where the melody soared, not soured. Maybe if the solo violin wasn’t so exposed, only able to play one note after another, these compositions could have achieved more. But then they wouldn’t be what they are, they’d be different pieces altogether.

There are, of course, many who will enjoy these sonatas, who will find something interesting in them. But for this reviewer, track 12, the “finale” of the fourth sonata, was one of two pieces that really held merit. It was dramatic without being all jumpy, stuttering, stop-starting. Track 13, “L’Aurore,” was also more inspired, musically speaking. It starts off with a British folksiness to it, like a score by Delius. German violinist Carolin Widmann plays this piece quite sumptuously on her 2022 album, L’Aurore. It’s a slower song that takes its time, feeling around, and that created atmosphere is rather alluring. The song has a mysteriousness—as if one is walking around foggy pastures in the countryside. Instead of being just note after note, “L’Aurore” paints a sonic picture; it guides the listener along a scenic journey. If Ysaÿe could create these two pieces that sing out so well, why couldn’t he do that for the rest of the sonatas? Anyway…

But whether you preferred these two only or the whole set of six, there’s no doubt that Hahn plays her heart out. She skillfully maneuvers the runs and jumps. She is a musician dedicated to her craft. Ysaÿe ushered in a style of playing that emphasized virtuosity, bold sounds and free-wheeling imagination. But just because he started the movement doesn’t mean it’s the best example of it. The musician who approaches these compositions has their work cut out for them, and Hahn is up to the task. Though this or that sonata might not stir your fancy, the musicianship on display deserves much applause.


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