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RECITAL REVIEW
September 13, 2004
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By Jodi Levitz
Last Monday night William Corbett-Jones and Jassen Todorov opened their four-concert series of the complete Mozart Sonatas for Piano and Violin at Knuth Hall on the San Francisco State campus, playing the six sonatas KV 301 through 306.
It is believed we have the Dresden composer Joseph Schuster to thank for these six sublime sonatas. Mozart was intrigued by the stylistic dialogue between the violin and keyboard and became inspired to expand on the idea. He even sent a set of Schuster's sonatas to his sister, writing, “… they aren't bad. If I stay on, I will write six myself in the same style, which is very popular here.” This influence is obvious from the very first sonata, where the opening theme is introduced by the “accompanying” voice of the violin.
The give-and-take between the two instruments can become a delicate issue, requiring both a perfect ear for balance and a constant dialog between the two performers. As every musician who plays Mozart knows, one will be hard pressed to find a bigger challenge than Mozart's crystal-clear, transparent style. Fortunately, Corbett-Jones was perfectly up to this challenge. Despite some minor note fumbles, his finely honed sense of voicing and lovely sound had all the qualities of an excellent string quartet. His bass line was so clear that at times it seemed as though a cellist had joined in the performance. Never overpowering but always supporting the violin voice, he seemed to be enjoying the friendly acoustic of Knuth hall as much and his enthusiastic audience.
Todorov, however, seemed to be at ease only with the more dramatic and somber of Mozart's moods. This was especially successful in the KV 304 in e minor, where both players brought out the stark and somber character of the opening phrase and the haunting quality of the Tempo di minuetto. Equally effective was the brilliant D major KV 306. Unfortunately, an injudicious use of vibrato and a tendency to overplay the accompaniment sections disturbed and occasionally overpowered the clarity and delicacy of the piano. Todorov has a beautifully robust sound and demonstrates an admirable technical accuracy, but missed the opportunity to engage us in the lighter colors and characters of Mozart's more Gallant style. Despite these quibbles, the overall effect of the performance was a positive one, as evidenced by an enthusiastic standing ovation at the conclusion. The next concert in the series will be on Thursday October 5 at 8 PM.
(Jodi Levitz holds B.M and M.M. degrees from the Juilliard School, and is a professor of viola and chamber music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.)
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Jassen Todorov
William Corbett-Jones