George Friedrich Handel: Prayer from Dettinger Te Deum in D Major HWV 283 (arranged by Carl Flesch)
Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Opus 108
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Sicilienne in E Minor
Franz Schubert: Sonatina in D Major, Opus 137, No. 1
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vocalise
Bela Bartok: Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56
Boris Borgolotto: Violin
Clara Saussac: Piano
Concert season has finally started in earnest in and around Dieulefit, and while I have been pickier than my mom, who does not hesitate to drive way out of town three nights in a row to get her cultural fix while the cat and I dutifully hold the fort, there was no way I was going to miss another enchanted musical evening in Rebecca Chaillot’s “petit palais de Chaillot” in Colonzelle, even on a school night.
Indeed, that’s where, last Thursday evening, the young globe-trotting violinist Boris Borgolotto would join his former study buddy and regular recital partner, local pianist Clara Saussac, for another ambitious and engaging program that included a healthy mix of composers, from the unknown to me Johann Paul von Westhoff to my beloved Johannes Brahms, and that would thankfully start at the totally civilized time of 7:00 PM.
Even better, once we had arrived in the courtyard of the “little palace of Chaillot”, we realized that the performance was going to take place in the large room upstairs, so I finally had the opportunity to check it out. Knowing the impeccable taste of the lady of the house, I was not surprised to find myself in a welcoming art-filled space anchored by a majestic piano impassibly waiting for some action under a high vaulted ceiling with wooden beams. Even the absence of AC had been addressed with the semi-controversial presence of a fan, which would eventually be turned off as it started getting loud but, hey, that’s the thought that counts, and strategically opened doors.
Once everybody had settled down and the bells from the church next door had let us know that it was 7:00 PM, the musicians kicked off the concert with Imitazione delle campane from Sonata No. 3 in D Minor by German Baroque composer, and noted violin virtuoso, Johann Paul von Westhoff. A short but rewarding—and particularity timely too—opener, that “imitation of church bells” spontaneously reminded of Arvo Pärt’s “Fratres”, of all things, due to its thrilling inventiveness and irresistible hypnotic power, which needless to say is a mighty compliment.
It was followed by the Carl Flesch’s equally short and equally rewarding arrangement of George Friedrich Handel’s soulful Prayer from Dettinger Te Deum in D Major HWV 283, which pianist and violinist handled beautifully.
Predictably enough, the highlight of the evening for me was the duo’s commanding performance of Johannes Brahms’ perfectly structured, endlessly complex and emotionally intense Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Opus 108, one of his most accomplished works in a career that contains plenty. Everything I love about that piece, including the gorgeous lyricism, the vivid contrast between playfulness and darkness, the sheer compositional brilliance, was brilliantly conveyed and fully enjoyed.
After such a memorable experience, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s intimate Sicilienne in E Minor and its soothing melodies was exactly what we needed to calm down while remaining fully involved in the moment.
Another significant tour de force was Franz Schubert’s Sonatina in D Major, Opus 137, No. 1, during which Saussac and Borgolotto displayed total mastery of their craft and the composition. Immediately accessible and yet plenty intricate when you really look into it, the work never ceased to surprise and seduce.
Next, the unstoppable duo gracefully unfolded the delicate melancholy and meditative mood of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s ever-popular song Vocalise.
Things perked up again quickly though, with a dynamite version of Bela Bartok’s zesty Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56, which was already played during our last visit to the petit palais de Chaillot, but then again, who can get enough of it? Not us, and we were delighted to have a chance to hear it again.
Once the last note had faded away, we readily expressed our gratitude for such a wonderful hour with a resounding ovation, and that earned us a lovely instrumental version of “Les berceaux” by Gabriel Fauré. The half lullaby half barcarolle turned the energy level down again to the gentle rhythms of the rocking waves it invoked and subtly prepared us for a Zen rest of the evening.
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