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Maurice Clare ...

Three Recitals

Maurice Clare is a violinist of repute, formerly lender of the Boyd-Neel String Orchestra in England. He has been heard in various recitals in this country, notably as a soloist with the National Orchestra, and on two occasions in the Town Hall with the Alex Lindsay String Orchestra. Frederick Page Senior Lecturer in Music at victoria College, and ban been heard in many recitals and radio broadcasts.

The first two programmes consisted of a Bach Solo and Sonata, a Beethoven Sonata for violin and piano, and a Bartok Sonata for violin and piano. The two Bach Sonatas, in a Minor and a Major, are from a series of six, composed around 1720. They illustrate Bach's preoccupation with organ music, even when writing for a melodic instrument like the violin, and hence demand in the first place immense technical ability. Maurice Clare surmounted the difficulties successfully, and gave two very noble performances. Especially effective was the regular accompanying pattern in the 3rd movement of the A Minor Sonata, a background to a beautiful Siciliano played above it in the small Music Room the soloist produced a full and dignified tone though in rare places it was liable to become perhaps a little too taut.

The Beethoven Sonatas, Opus 47 in A and Opus 30 No. 2 in C Minor, required an entirely different approach. They are more melodic in character than the Bach, though there is much in them besides for a virtuoso. Except for a few blurred notes in Variation II of the Kreutzer. Maurice Clare was well capable of a good execution of these works Frederick Pages's playing was never obstrusive, but on the other hand he never assumed the role of a mere accompanist. His pedalling was extremely attractive.

Bartok's two Sonatas are supposedly Hungarian in character, but they are no gypsy airs. Both works are incredibly difficult and place high demands on the technical ability of piano and violin.. They are, I believe, the culmination of the lessons to be learnt from the proceeding masters. Bach and Beethoven—an extensive examination of the potentialities of the instruments, combined with a true emotional sense. It seemed that the players were most effective in these works, and they overcame the technical demands with what appeared to be fluent ease.

At the final concert, we heard only the Bach Solo Sonata in C, and the Sonata for solo violin by Bartok, as Frederick Page was indisposed. The comparison was startling between the two works, one written in the 18th century and the other in the 20th. The Bach was in full accord with his other works, and here. Maurice Clare gave, I thought, the best performance of the series. Then came Bartok, to state hid side of the case. He tried everything—muted strings, double-stopped harmonics, a pizzicato accompaniment, and enormous cadenzas. But I think he came off second best against Bach, his master, though the finale, written in true peasant idiom, was sheer delight.