Ilkley Gazette 5th June 1997
Flawless start for this season of concerts
THE opening recital in the inaugural series of summer concerts at the Priory Church, Bolton Abbey, was a flawless evening in every way and augurs well for the remainder of the season and for the future of the event.
The setting is delightful, the evening warm and inviting, the marquee, wine and 'nibbles' civilised and much appreciated.
Above all we were privileged to hear Marat Bisengaliev, the violin virtuoso from Kazakhstan, now resident in the UK, whose dazzling, effortless artistry and undertstated, yet commanding musical personality places him, for me, among the finest violinists I have ever heard.
Firstly, I must pay tribute to pianist John Lenehan, whose contribution to the evening cannot be overestimated. Never a mere accompanist, an equal partner in the Bach, Tartini, da Falla and Sarasate pieces, he was unfailingly sensitive to every nuance of the music. Their's is clearly a musical partnership of rare sympathy and understanding.
There were so many highlights during the evening that it is difficult to know where to begin.
The opening movement of the Bach drew some exquisite long-breathed phrases from Marat, with the burnished, full-bodied tone, faultless tuning and sense of musical architecture that are the hall marks of his playing.
The faster movements here and in the Tartini 'Devil's Trill' Sonata that followed, were joyfully exu¬berant; the famous trills, full of tension and suitably sinister. Brahms' Hungarian Dance nol brought the first half of the programme to a breathless finish.
In the second half, I was particularly impressed with the dreamy, haunting 'Poema' of Tulebayev, a fellow countryman of Marat's and the Kreisler/Puguani Praeludium and Allegro, with its arresting, striding opening and infectious Allegro. Elgar's charming salon piece 'La Capricieuse' was elegantly done and da Falla's 'Spanish Dance' sharply characterised, both beguiling and fiery.
The single most outstanding performance of the evening for me was Sarasate's formidable 'Zigeunerweisen', bristling with double stopping, harmonics, glissandi and left hand pizzicati.
The wonderful muted centra] section was extraordinarily beautiful, the entire performance carried off with stunning aplomb and refined sensibility.
Wienlawski's Variations, although most equally bubbling over with pyrotechnics and played with equally devastating power, seemed almost an anticlimax after the sincerity and rapture of the Sarasate.
An evening then, to remember and savour. A perfect blend of warm lyricism and bravura excitement from a player whose wonderfully rich sound has acquired an intensely personal ring and whose impressive technical equipment enables him to bring this neglected repertoire fully to life.
There are further concerts in this summer season on Sunday, June 29, Saturday, July 26, and Saturday, August 30. Put these dates in your diary now. Not to be missed.
Maurice Powell
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