Musica Viva presents Benjamin Beilman and Andrew Tyson

In one of the most exciting classical music debuts of the year, two award-winning young stars make their first recital tour of Australia.

The program reflects the equal nature of their roles. Saint-Saëns’ First Violin Sonata requires two virtuosi to bring it off: the two parts are equal in emotional expression and take turns in musical leadership, before joining for an exuberant finale which has been called “the most exciting in the repertoire”. Mozart’s late Violin Sonata K526 gives each of the performers a thrillingly virtuoso part, in an unusual (for the time) display of equality. It begins and ends in A major, a key Mozart always chose when his operatic heroines sang of love: perhaps this inspired the particularly beautiful slow movement.

Janáček’s Sonata is a darker beast, written at the onset of the Great War, with what the composer described as “the sound of metal clashing” in his head. But it has a richly Romantic character too, and a wealth of Bohemian folk touches. A notable inclusion on the program is a purpose-built world premiere by Jane Stanley, an Australian composer now resident in Glasgow, whose distinctive musical language marries fiery technique with emotional impact.

Program:
MOZART Sonata no 35 in A major, K. 526
JANÁCEK Violin Sonata
STANLEY Cerulean Orbits (World Premiere)
Commissioned by Musica Viva’s Hildegard Project
SAINT-SAËNS Sonata no 1 in D minor, op 75