Violinist and pianist in complete accord

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32561, 22 March 1971, Page 14

Violinist and pianist in complete accord

On Saturday evening Mr Louis Yffer and Mr Maurice Till gave a violin and piano recital to a large audience in the Civic Theatre. Both players deserved the warm reception accorded to their playing which, at all times, showed smooth technical mastery and faithfid expounding of interpretative detail.

Especially in the second part of the programme, where there were fast changes of dynamics and tonal shadings, the players were in complete accord in style and in emotional harmony. Mr Yffer produced, from his splendid Stradivarius violin, timbres which were in stylish requirement with the various types of music. There was a clear-cut severity of line in the opening work, a Chaconne by Vitali; broad phrasing in the Brahms Sonata in A major with warmth of expression and ringing vibrancy; silken tone and the most subtle variations of expression in Ravel’s Piece in the Form of a Habanera; and throbbing feeling, expressed in rich autumnal colourings, in a Hebrew Melody by Achron and in the “Moses” Fantasie by Paganini. Kroll’s "Banjo and Fiddle” and Kreisler’s “Caprice Viennois” were played with secure aplomb. Mr Yffer has splendid flair in capturing the spirit of this light but elusive sort of music. His control of the bow is never for a moment uncertain, and his intonation is exact.

Mr Till’s long experience as an accompanist of foremost rank and as a soloist who always goes right to the heart of the matter has long been appreciated, and while the demands of this programme were not very exacting, he was always there with the exact weight, colour, and expression which each phrase demanded. There was a rich fullness in his playing of the , piano part of the Brahms A major, and a nicety of judgment in the varying styles of

the shorter works. As solos he played the ; Beethoven “Moonlight” Sonata, keeping a lasting singing tone in the melody of the first movement, giving a sense of reflection and happiness in the second, and resolute deter-, mination in the last. Liszt’s “Concert Study in D flat” was played with clearly-singing delineation of melody, and his Polonaise No. 2 in E had martial bravura. —C.FJB.