Renowned Japanese-American violinist Midori was the headline name for the November 27 recital at Hong Kong City Hall. Yet, considering the importance of the piano in the programme, it would be remiss not to mention Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute in the same breath.
Both artists effortlessly switched back and forth between accompaniment and melody in Beethoven’s breezy Sonata for Piano and Violin No 5 in F, relishing the opening movement’s internal drama as it unfolded.
Midori’s rich, expressive tone in the adagio was golden, and the pair’s blink-and-miss scherzo was a show of precision in the execution of super-spiky spiccato.
Schubert’s late work, the rarely performed Fantasie for Violin and Piano in C, followed the Beethoven piece. This again saw both artists on equal footing, and rising to the greater technical challenges of the taxing solo parts.
The most colourful playing followed the intermission as the duo captivated with Poulenc’s Sonata for Violin and Piano. The composer once quipped that it was written differently from the typical 19th-century French violin sonatas, which he disliked so much they made him vomit.
