<\/p>\n
If you haven\u2019t 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 \u2013 she is in her final year for a B.Mus degree at Curtis Institute \u2013 but when she puts bow to string, her playing is astonishingly mature. \u00a0And 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\u2019s Violin Concerto, a work that is a closed book for any but the most accomplished of fiddlers.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s emotional essence. It\u2019s a fairly long work; it runs for a little over half an hour \u2013 and I\u2019d have been delighted if she\u2019d chosen to play it all again.<\/p>\n
Whether evoking the passionate ardour of much of the writing or, in the work\u2019s more reflective moments, bringing extraordinary expressiveness, at times tenderness, to her playing, Grace Clifford could hardly be faulted. And from the conductor\u2019s podium, Hussain, in black lounge suit and black tie, took the orchestra through a near-flawless accompaniment. Andrew Nicholson\u2019s contribution on flute was impeccable. Much the same could be said of the French horn players.<\/p>\n
After rapturous, prolonged \u2013 and thoroughly deserved \u2013 applause (with the WASO players enthusiastically clapping as well) \u2013 we were given an encore. With lights dimmed, we listened to a stunningly fine account of Bach\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
As curtainraiser, we listened to the overture to Mozart\u2019s Don Giovanni, an account which focussed strongly on its dramatic moments. The latter\u2019s emotional darkness was impressively evoked \u2013 and the buoyancy of lighter measures was no less convincingly conveyed.<\/p>\n
Bohuslav Martinu\u2019s music hardly ever features in a WASO performance \u2013 so programming his Jazz Suite was something of an occasion. It\u2019s 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<\/sup> movement \u2013 tempo di blues –\u00a0 bassoonist\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Perth Concert Hall reviewed by Neville Cohn If you haven\u2019t 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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-performance"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Yv33-2P","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":144,"url":"https:\/\/ozartsreviewonline.com\/oz\/concert-ray-chen-violin-julien-quentin-piano\/","url_meta":{"origin":175,"position":0},"title":"CONCERT Ray Chen (violin)\u00a0 Julien Quentin (piano)","author":"reviewer","date":"August 27, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Perth Concert Hall reviewed by Neville Cohn \u00a0 When Ray Chen puts bow to string, it instantly triggers memories of violin greats: Yehudi Menuhin, Heifetz, Elman in their prime. 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