Founded in 1852, the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce marked its 160th anniversary with a recital by violinist Carmine Lauri, accompanied by pianist Simon Hester. The performance was at the Casino Maltese, Valletta, incidentally founded in that same year.
The familiar and less familiar themes were well etched in this exercise in versatility leading to a conclusion with a standing ovation
Lauri is a much-loved musician and his local performances are always eagerly looked forward to and well-attended. He combines great musical skill and artistic depth and commitment with a communicative charm and ease of manner, which endears him to any audience.
In recitals like this one, Lauri has the support of and a great rapport with Hester, with whom he has performed for years. Theirs is a solid and balanced partnership, a factor which was clear throughout the recital.
This began with an arrangement by Kreisler of what has become Tartini’s most famous work, the Sonata in G minor known as The Devil’s Trill.
Ever such a technically difficult piece, this sonata has a mix of passages requiring great skill on the violinist’s part culminating in a great cadenza, balanced by passages of great lyricism requiring a smooth texture and marvellous tone which Lauri produces so easily.
His performance did not fail to impress. Things continued in the same way, this time, with Beethoven’s Violin Sonata in A, Op.12, No.2, only that at this early stage in this genre, Beethoven was still allotting the piano a very important part, at least in the opening movement.
This is a charming work and performed with attention to detail and style, idyllic in the middle and final movements, with the latter living up to its designation as an allegro piacevole.
Dvorak’s Sonatina, Op.100 has that strange mix of music based on Amerindian themes and Negro spirituals with a strong nostalgic element of the deeply home-sick composer.
The opening allegro risoluto and the molto vivace had a joyful and very youthful air about them, with the larghetto in between coming in stark contrast because this was where a most poignant feeling underlined the nostalgic mood of the music.
The concluding allegro came across in a continuous merry romp. Directly from North America came the Heiftez arrangement of a suite from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.
The two musicians threw themselves with great ease into this completely different idiom. The various familiar and less familiar themes were well etched in this exercise in versatility leading to a conclusion with a standing ovation.
The recital came to a definite end with two encores, Tango by Albéniz and Danza Española by de Falla, both in arrangements by Kreisler.