Musica Viva. Adelaide Town Hall. 5 Oct 2016
In a concert comprising Mozart, Janáček, Saint-Saëns and contemporary Australian composer Jane Stanley, violinist Benjamin Beilman and pianist Andrew Tyson have a richly varied musical palette upon which to demonstrate their prowess as both individuals and as a musical partnership.
Technically, both young artists are exceptional talents, and musically they are both sophisticated and contemplative. At times their lyricism is achingly beautiful, and at other times their treatment of dissonance and spiky rhythms draws on the impetuosity of youth and demands to be listened to - here we are and we have something to say; and they do, and it is impressive.
Beilman and Tyson draw out the inherent sunniness of Mozart’s Sonata No 35 in A, and their treatment of the andante third movement is particularly expressive. It resembles a polite and respectful dialogue, with each instrument taking turns to progress the conversation. This is turned on its head in Janáček’s Vioin Sonata with both instruments boisterously clamoring for ascendency, resolving in the final adagio fourth movement in which Beilman and Tyson are at their sublime best.
Stanley’s Cerulean Orbits is a very new composition, and this is its second performance ever. In addressing the audience from the stage, Tyson notes that the piece is so new that it was his and Beilman’s very great pleasure to help the composer workshop and refine the piece only a few short weeks before.
However, Cerulean Orbits did not overly please the audience who appear to enjoy compositions that are more tonal and with obvious structure, such as Saint-Saëns’ Sonata No 1 in D minor which rounds the concert out with a veritable cornucopia of melodies. Beilman and Tyson are in their element, and they sustain the energy and momentum that the piece demands. It is an exhilarating, razor-edge ride.
Still only in their mid-twenties, Beilman and Tyson are already successful and experienced musicians, and each has an impressive list of awards and prizes to his name. They are prodigiously talented and can look forward to long and successful futures.
Kym Clayton
When: 5 Oct
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
