Sonata in A minor Op 105 - Schumann
Havanaise - Saint-Saens
Tarantella Op 28 No 2 - Szymanowski
The deep-velvet tone with which Niamh Crowley opened her violin recital last Wednesday at lunchtime was both captivating and promising. At the Bank of Ireland Arts Centre in Foster Place, Dublin, this 21-year-old violinist and Deborah Kelleher (piano) presented three works as part of the bank's "Classical Choice" concert series.
The opening item, Schumann's Sonata in A minor Op. 105, was by far the most substantial piece on the programme. Its seriousness emphasised the superficiality of SaintSaens's Havanaise, despite a performance of the latter strikingly secure in technique and well-calculated in gesture.
The closing work was much more interesting. Szymanowski's Tarantella Op. 28 No. 2 has an unrelenting, pell-mell intensity which neatly balances technical display and intricate, engaging ideas. Crowley's shaping of this piece - and there can be few with more notes per second - was compelling.
Throughout this recital, Crowley and Kelleher showed good rapport. This was especially rewarding in the Schumann, despite some scrambles in the piano part during the last movement. I sometimes felt that more variety of tone and volume - some really hushed moments, and more awareness of the venue's acoustic - were needed in a piece whose quirkiness responds better to deft contrasts than to persistent urgency. Nevertheless, Crowley's security and thoughtful interpretation testified to a considerable technical and musical prowess.
