Reviews/Critical Acclaim

VIOLINIST'S DISPLAY OF TALENT IS NOTEWORTHY

Published on Saturday, November 4, 2000 by The Buffalo News Inc.

Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin are titanic works of Olympian difficulty that display every bit of talent (and/or moxy) possessed by musicians attempting them. It isn't just a matter of getting the notes right, since there is an almost constantly changing set of interpretive problems that need addressing nearly every time the bow passes over the strings. Each of these six works is a distilled blend of heart and intellect that demands focus, challenging both the artist and the listener to follow the permutations as Bach's musical themes transform under their fingers and in their ears. With any number of worthy virtuosos having recorded these scores, in studios where producers can cover up a multitude of mistakes, it is a rare treat to hear a live performance that strives successfully to communicate every nuance of these masterpieces. In that regard Movses Pogossian is to be commended most heartily for his performance last night. Pogossian, a Visiting Artist Teacher at SUNY Buffalo, has been making quite an impression on Western New York audiences of late. His Bach recital last year drew rave reviews, and his performance of Kurt Weill's Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra with the Slee Sinfonietta last month was noteworthy, both factors in making Friday's concert an eagerly awaited one. Rather than attempt to play the three sonatas and their accompanying partitas in one fell swoop, a procedure that would have stretched the concert past the four hour mark and sorely taxed his endurance, Pogossian split the difference, choosing to bracket the first of the partitas (no. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002) with the second (in A Minor, BWV 1003) and third (in C Major, BWV 1005) sonatas. Based upon how often live performances of these works occur, half a loaf was better than none. The violinist played the works from memory, bending and swaying as he launched his bow across the strings, caressing a phrase here and stressing a line there as a smile hovered about his lips. This formidable display of energy had its pluses in the palpable, raw-boned excitement Pogossian brought to the massive fugue in the third sonata, generating perhaps the most singularly committed playing of the evening. At the end of the evening, when the audience showed its appreciation for his feat, Pogossian came back on stage for an encore that showcased his true forte, music of the twentieth century. The brief piece by Paul Hindemith was a set of variations featuring a Mozartean core contrasted with short, intense strokes of sardonic power that could only have come centuries after their initial inspiration. Any way you look at it, though, the next opportunity to see Pogossian in concert (with the Baird Trio on Nov. 29) is one that should be taken up by any Western New Yorker interested in high quality violin artistry.