BY CHLOE SANGER
Bach, Bloch and Brahms
Danae Killian (piano), Barbara Hornung (viola)
St Stephen’s Anglican Church, Richmond, 20 May
Pianist Danae Killian and violist Barbara Hornung’s longstanding musical collaboration, centred around the works of Swiss American composer Ernest Bloch, culminated in an album dedicated to his works: Ernest Bloch: Viola and Piano (Move Records). Their album launch held at St Stephen’s Anglican Church in Richmond, a well-loved venue for chamber musicians, also contained works from Bach, Brahms, and the premiere of Scrabble, a new work by Melbourne composer Colin McKellar. It was a fascinating program, well performed by the duo and very well received by the audience.
Opening the recital was Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E-flat minor from Das wohltemperierte Klavier. Danae’s sophisticated and nuanced style was immediately apparent in the slowly unfolding prelude – her impeccable rhythm and sensitivity for baroque technique laid a great foundation for a very personal and dynamic rendition. The fugue, known as one of the more academic pieces in Bach’s body of works, was equally impressive, performed with precision and energy.
Colin McKellar’s Scrabble was a serialist work deriving tone rows from the letters in a scrabble set. An interesting compositional concept (explained in dense detail in the program notes) resulted in a complex, conversational piece containing highly varied dynamic moments, interpreted and performed comfortably by Danae and Barbara.
Between this concert and the album, Barbara has covered Bloch’s entire repertoire for viola. Signifying this completion was an extremely well-rehearsed and convincing performance of Bloch’s Suite for Viola and Piano, with good balance between the duo in comparison with the previous piece. Bloch’s Suite for Solo Viola, a piece left unfinished at the end of his life, was performed with a conclusion written by Barbara herself. It was very cleverly incorporated into the original work – to an audience member unfamiliar with Bloch’s work, the piece seemed complete.
The penultimate work was a selection of Bloch’s Enfantines, a series of piano miniatures composed for children from a pedagogical standpoint. It was a welcome inclusion to the program, providing some more tender, reflective moments, before the final piece, Brahms’ Sonata in F minor. Its grand, confident first movement contained some great ensemble moments, however in the preceding movements, fatigue appeared to set in on the performers. A few negligible pitch and ensemble issues were overshadowed by Danae’s impressive skill and musicality, concluding an overall enjoyable recital.
