Although Beethoven's ten chamber works for piano and violin are now commonly known as 'Violin Sonatas', they were initially called 'Sonatas for Pianoforte and Violin', and not without reason. While the qualities of the violin mean that it often outshines the more meditative sound of the piano, both instruments have to work in tandem to fully convey the power and complexity of the music.
Happily, Lawrence Dunn (violin) and Gilmour Macleod (piano) took Beethoven's original titling to heart and made a concerted effort to allow the qualities of their respective instruments to shine. The result was a thoroughly compelling hour of classical music. The duo started their recital with an atmospheric transcription of Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring. Laced with charismatic melodies and borrowing heavily from American spiritual hymns, Dunn and Macleod's rendition was gifted with a folksy charm.
Dunn contributed to this mood by ferociously attacking his strings, infusing his sound with so many sharps that it almost sounded like he was playing a fiddle, not a classical violin. Mechanical perfection of the Heifetz variety it may not have been, but this hardly detracted from the overall performance.
Indeed, Dunn's style also worked when it was employed for the Kreutzer Sonata. His technique brilliantly exposed the anguish at the heart of the first and third movements. During the long set of variations bridging the gap between them, MacLeod demonstrated the versatility of the piano. He shifted expertly between gently supporting the violin and overpowering it, making the most of the more frantic passages that Beethoven included so regularly in his music.
The playing was so irresistible, indeed, that the performance felt like it finished almost as soon as it had begun. For a piece that typically lasts well over forty minutes, this is quite an achievement and is testament to the affecting way one of Beethoven's most famous chamber pieces - whatever its rightful name is - was played.
