Review by Anthony Hardwicke
The first concert of day two of the Rosendal Chamber Music Festival took place at 11am in Kvinnherad church. The sun was shining and the panoramic view of Hardangerfjord and the surrounding mountains was amazing. So too the music.
Julia Hagen played Brahms’ E minor Cello Sonata Op.38, with Roland Pontinen on piano. Hagen’s sound is warm, genteel and poetic. She managed an unbroken mood line for the whole of the first movement and Pontinen supported her as the intensity ebbed and flowed. He chose an ambitious tempo for the last movement (Brahms’ fugue-like hommage to J S Bach) but then *ping* – Hagen’s A string broke! She wasn’t fazed, quickly replaced the string and they started the movement again. A shade slower this time.
Off went Hagen and Pontinen and on came the dream team of James Ehnes (violin) Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello) and Yoel-Eum Son (piano) to play Brahms’ Op.87 – his second piano trio in C major. And boy did they play it! It was the best performance in the festival so far. Ehnes was the sensible grown-up of the group. Kanneh-Mason (who had performed the same trio recently in Oxford with his siblings Braimah and Isata) seemed nervous for the first minute or two, but quickly got into the zone. The outer movements were wonderfully fleet and joyful with big colours and wild contrasts. Son’s ravishing solo piano phrases lit up the second movement. The third movement scherzo was lightening fast and tighter than Count Basie’s rhythm section! The three musicians could be seen enjoying and appreciating each other’s playing more and more as they progressed. It was a very special performance. Five stars!
View the full festival programme here
Anthony Hardwicke is an Islington-based amateur pianist. He played Mozart and Scriabin for his LRSM diploma and attends Martino Tirimo’s class at Morley College. He also works part time as a chemistry teacher at Bradfield College.
(Images from Rosendal Chamber Music Festival)
The Cross-Eyed Pianist 