Lammermuir Festival: Alina Ibragimova and Steven Osborne

Dunbar Parish Church - 11/09/23 

Dunbar Parish Church was the venue on the night of Monday 11th September for a violin and piano recital by Russian violinist Alina Ibragimova and Scottish pianist Steven Osborne, featuring Prokofiev’s two Sonatas.  The first sonata was preceded by the Debussy, whilst the second was preceded after the interval by Pärt’s spellbinding ‘Fratres’.   

Debussy’s 1917 Violin Sonata is a short 3-movement work.  A brief dreamy opening leads to an agile Allegro vivo.  Lovely emulative voicing in the violin line, including sotto voce and sweetly subtle portamento, were contrasted with equally lovely bell-like sounds from the piano.  Engaging phrasing was skilfully enhanced by subtle adjustments of vibrato.  Hispanic elements in the rhythm were beautifully pointed.  The second movement, not particularly slow, had some imitative rapid repeated notes in both parts, rendered with equal skill, though I cannot leave unmentioned Alina’s fabulous bow control. Dreamy episodes were delivered with glorious tone, while the exotic oriental figures were elegantly pointed.  A brief slow introduction launched the agile (and fiendishly difficult) finale, with lovely Kreisler-like schmaltzy interludes.  Hard to credit that the piece was written by a terminally ill Debussy. 

Prokofiev’s First Sonata, composed during the Second World War, is a predominantly dark, brooding macabre piece.  The first movement contrasts a menacing funeral march with a soft, scurrying violin figuration over steady, poignant chords, described by Prokofiev as "wind in a graveyard".  Both Alina and Steven excelled in this gruesome picture-painting – it was not a cold day, but I shivered.  Astonishingly rapid pizzicato chords were also pretty breathtaking.  The scherzo is a brutal Totentanz, with fabulous hammer chords from Steven and grotesque interruptions to a lyrical Russian lament from Alina.  The ethereal, ghostly, disembodied lyrical beauty of the slow movement was magically surreal and represented one of the most stunning instances of collaborative interpretation in the Festival so far (and there has been no shortage of unforgettable chamber music moments). The finale, enigmatic and multi-stranded, launches as a frantic dance, but contrasting episodes vie for the upper hand, some syncopated, some lyrical, more thrilling fast pizzicato, more brutal hammer chords on the piano.  The mood of the first movement reasserts itself, quoting its two main themes.  The piece ends in eerie calm, having spent all its fury.  Wow. 

Pärt’s ‘Fratres’, as with so much of his music, is composed of simple elements used to great effect.  In essence a short slow modal melody with modal harmonies is repeated through a series of variations.  I confess to preferring the chamber orchestra version, which emphasises stillness and meditative introspection.  In the violin and piano version, the piano is a quiet percussion instrument for much of the time and the ‘harmonies’ are delivered through frantic arpeggiation on the violin.  This robs the piece of its essential stillness, in my view.  It was still pretty special, though, and it received a committed and convincing realisation. 

It would be difficult to imagine a pair of sonatas by the same composer as wildly different as Prokofiev’s two Violin Sonatas, despite dating from the same period.  The Second is mostly sunny and radiant, like the Second Violin Concerto and the Seventh Symphony, and was adapted from his Flute Sonata at the suggestion of violinist David Oistrakh.  At that time, Prokofiev and Oistrakh lived in the same apartment block, so collaboration was as easy as it was mutually beneficial.  The first movement is almost entirely lyrical and idyllic, with contrasts coming from rhythmic development rather than dramatic tension.  The scherzo, in very fast triple time, reminds me of that of Shostakovich’s Second Piano Trio, and was delivered with the same fabulous agility and rhythmic vitality, with just a hint of sarcasm.  The third movement is not particularly slow and is a romance tinged with regret like so many of the melodies in the Romeo and Juliet ballet – it was beautifully played.  The finale is a joyous romp with a circus march rondo theme, with varied moody episodes and a thrilling conclusion.  It was obvious that Alina and Steven love this music and that love was infectious.  A thrilling performance of a super piece. 

Cover photo: Ben Ealovega and Giorgia Bertazzi