Jennifer Koh brings a remarkable performance that brings together Baroque and Contemporary at UKARIA.
Presented by: Adelaide Festival
Reviewed: 19 March, 2023
UKARIA Cultural Centre is possibly one of the most beautiful concert venues in South Australia. Nestled in the Adelaide Hills amongst a lush native garden, the venue is designed both with incredible acoustics and to take advantage of the stunning views, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the gardens and hills.
It was in this idyllic setting that audiences were treated to a performance by leading American violinist Jennifer Koh, performing solo works by Bach and Missy Mazzoli. Koh opened with Bach’s Violin Sonata No.2 in A Minor, immediately showing the full house why she is referred to as one of the world’s leading performers of Bach. Fast movements have both energy and precision, with every note given clarity, while slow movements are treated with delicacy and emotion.
The inclusion of works by contemporary composer Missy Mazzoli seemed a curious addition to the program initially, but as Koh explained to the audience, both Mazzoli pieces take their inspiration from famous Baroque and Classical works. Kinski Paganini is a wild, energetic piece that pays homage to the famously insane film ‘Paganini’ by Klaus Kinski. Koh attacks this short work with ferocity, but never lets this stay into sloppy playing, her mastery particularly showing in precise yet incredibly fast sul ponticello arpeggios. The other Mazzoli piece, Dissolve, O My Heart, takes its inspiration from one of the most famous solo violin works of all time, Bach’s Chaconne. Mazzoli takes the first chord of the Chaconne, but rather than being an imitation of Bach, this work takes a contemporary spin. The melody slides through major and minor, never quite settling on either. These unsettling slides build tension that then crash into rich chordal moments that merely hint at the famous Chaconne. Koh balances this performance with Baroque sensibility as seen through a contemporary lens.
The program is rounded out with Bach’s Violin Sonata No.3 in C Major. Koh tackles the counterpoint in this work with a clarity of voicing that is rarely seen, and is breathtaking to watch. I could go on and on about this remarkable performance, but the collective released breath by the audience after the final note, along with the standing ovation, says it all.
Reviewed by Kristin Stefanoff
Photo credit: Juergen Frank
Venue: UKARIA Cultural Centre
Season: Season ended
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