Perth Concert Hall
reviewed by Neville Cohn
If you haven’t heard of Grace Clifford, make a note of her name because, one the evidence of her performance with the WASO at the weekend, she is on a fast track to the stars. This young violinist is still an undergraduate – she is in her final year for a B.Mus degree at Curtis Institute – but when she puts bow to string, her playing is astonishingly mature. And her extraordinary musical gift was abundantly in evidence at Perth Concert Hall as, with Leo Hussain on the podium, she took us on a musical journey through Dvorak’s Violin Concerto, a work that is a closed book for any but the most accomplished of fiddlers.
It is fiercely taxing – but this young artiste sailed through the work with an ease that was astonishing. But there is far more to this phenomenal musician than playing the right notes and keeping in tune. Again and again as the work unfolded, the young Clifford revealed the music’s emotional essence. It’s a fairly long work; it runs for a little over half an hour – and I’d have been delighted if she’d chosen to play it all again.
Whether evoking the passionate ardour of much of the writing or, in the work’s more reflective moments, bringing extraordinary expressiveness, at times tenderness, to her playing, Grace Clifford could hardly be faulted. And from the conductor’s podium, Hussain, in black lounge suit and black tie, took the orchestra through a near-flawless accompaniment. Andrew Nicholson’s contribution on flute was impeccable. Much the same could be said of the French horn players.
After rapturous, prolonged – and thoroughly deserved – applause (with the WASO players enthusiastically clapping as well) – we were given an encore. With lights dimmed, we listened to a stunningly fine account of Bach’s Sarabande in D minor. It was beyond criticism, a model of highest musicianship. The slightest lapse in music such as this is instantly, glaringly apparent. Here, though, it bordered on perfection.
As curtainraiser, we listened to the overture to Mozart’s Don Giovanni, an account which focussed strongly on its dramatic moments. The latter’s emotional darkness was impressively evoked – and the buoyancy of lighter measures was no less convincingly conveyed.
Bohuslav Martinu’s music hardly ever features in a WASO performance – so programming his Jazz Suite was something of an occasion. It’s scored for twelve players (the program note listed only ten). I especially liked the outer movements: quirky and zany, brimming with good humour. It was like a breath of fresh air. In the 2nd movement – tempo di blues – bassoonist Jane Kircher-Lindner was well to the fore and sounding in her element. So, too, was oboist Huw Jones, much on his mettle – and Graeme Gilling was in customary fine form at the piano.
