Vengerov’s astonishing technique and unflagging passion suffused the opening Andante molto in D flat with melancholy as Osetinskaya’s gently rocking piano rhythms provided perfectly graceful support.
The first half of this recital by Maxim Vengerov and Polina Osetinskaya, centering on works written for the Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim by his friends Clara and Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms in 1853, affirmed that year as conspicuously creative for all three composers. The program opened with Clara’s Three Romances. From the first notes, the ready rapport between violinist and accompanist was apparent. Vengerov’s astonishing technique and unflagging passion suffused the opening Andante molto in D flat with melancholy as Osetinskaya’s gently rocking piano rhythms provided perfectly graceful support. After a somber start, the central Allegretto became more cheerful, enlivened by Vengerov’s agile ornamentation of the violin theme. The long-breathed lyricism of the final Leidenschaftlich schnell grew in intensity before slowing down and beautifully resolving in violin’s lower register, accompanied by deep chords on the piano.
