<< Front page Arts November 21, 2003

Legendary violinist still provocative at age 80

Violinist Ida Haendel, the last living prformer of the 19th Century violin school, performed at age 80 in Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series Tuesday night. Haendel, in addition to being a legendary artist in her own right, is a disciple of legendary violinists Carl Flesch and Georges Enesco.

In today’s world, especially at a progressive institution such as the Oberlin Conservatory, it is easy to forget just how much the practice of performance has changed in the past century. Haendel’s playing, in addition to its musical merits, served as a much-needed reminder of music at its finest, if not most refined.

Much of the audience, sadly, seemed to miss this point. Many attendees, particularly Conservatory students, harped on Haendel’s age-related technical flaws. In the balcony, some questionable intonation was actually met with giggles. While this response would be understandable in an audience unaware of the context of the performance, it seemed a little insensitive for Oberlin students.

The first half of the program included Corelli’s “La Folia,” Beethoven’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 8 in G major and the Chaconne from Bach Partita No. 2 in D minor. The Corelli and the Beethoven were the weakest points of the program; Haendel didn’t entirely warm up. Her performance of the Chaconne was particularly poorly received by students who were accustomed to the modern “historically informed” performance of Bach. Haendel’s interpretation was certainly a dramatic contrast to modern readings of the piece it was very sustained and ponderous in the 19th-century Romantic aesthetic.

However, the emotional intensity and sincerity of her performance made it successful despite stylistic quibbles.

Many audience members left at intermission, which was unfortunate as the remainder of the recital was much lighter in tone and executed with considerably less technical difficulty. Haendel began the second half with a gorgeous rendition of Ernest Chausson’s “Poeme.”

Accompanist Walter Delahunt shone in this piece, in contrast with the first half of the concert when his playing was generally unremarkable. In the Chausson, however, he did a commendable job of balancing solo and accompanying roles as well as setting up a general atmosphere of impressionistic lyricism.

The Romanian Folk Dances of Bela Bartok, which followed the Chausson, were fantastically energetic. Haendel’s poignantly clear false harmonics in the third movement were particularly impressive as was the sheer speed of the last two movements. The mood shifts between the very short movements were also ably managed, adding to the vignette-like quality of the piece.

The program officially closed with Wieniawski’s Polonaise in D major, a fiery showpiece perfectly suited to Haendel’s personality. It was truly amazing to watch an 80-year-old woman perform this piece with all the virtuosic flair of a young prodigy this piece more than anything else on the program proved that Haendel perhaps has not yet outlived her performance career.

The second half of the recital as a whole was exceptionally well received by the remaining audience members, and Haendel responded to their enthusiasm by playing several encores.

The first, Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance No. 1,” was especially noteworthy for its rhythmic interest and gypsy spirit, truly an example of Romantic violin playing at its best. Haendel’s amazing gumption in continuing to perform despite her aging technique out of her sheer love of music and performance was striking.

Everything about her stage presence indicated her remarkable character, from her flamboyantly black and green leaf-spotted dress to her perfectly coiffed hair to her flourish of a down bow. Seeing Haendel live was an incredible experience from historical, musical and personal perspective. It is a shame that so many squandered this opportunity due to petty complaints about intonation.

   

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