AVANT GARDENS: DOUBLE SYMMETRY
In this intimate salon concert, Véronique Serret and Blair Harris show how a violin and a cello can create the richness and power of a string quartet – synergy and symmetry in action. Their program of duets and solos is a microcosm of human emotion, playing on dramatic contrasts: light and dark, smooth tonality and daring dissonance, power and delicacy, moody sentiment and fierce virtuosity, sinuous lines and dance-like energy.
DETAILS
Saturday 17 May 3pm, GlebeSunday 18 May 3pm, AlexandriaThursday 22 May 8pm, Tempo Rubato
PROGRAM
ERKKI-SVEN TÜÜR Synergie, for violin and cello (2010)
JÖRG WIDMANN Selections from 24 Duos for violin and cello (2008)
OSVALDO GOLIJOV Omaramor, for solo cello (1991)
KAIJA SAARIAHO - Aure, for violin and cello (2011)
HOLLY HARRISON Ice Giant, for solo violin (2023)
IANNIS XENAKIS Dhipli Zyia (Double Symmetry), for violin and cello (1951)
PERFORMERS
Véronique Serret (violin)
Blair Harris (cello)
DESCRIPTION
Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür once said you don’t need a full orchestra to create a powerful soundscape, and in this intimate salon concert, Véronique Serret and Blair Harris show how a violin and a cello can create the richness and power of a string quartet – synergy and symmetry in action
Their program plays to the drama of contrasts – from the tensions between tonal and atonal in Tüür’s fiercely uncompromising Synergie, to the juxtapositions of shimmering mellifluousness of Kaija Saariaho’s Aure, and the sense of attraction and rejection in Jörg Widmann’s Duos. Osvaldo Golijov gives the cello a free fantasy on ‘My Beloved Buenos Aires’ in his moody and sinuous homage to tango singer Carlos Gardel. Holly Harrison turns her imagination to the planet Neptune in a brilliant solo, composed for Serret, that’s part bluegrass fiddle, part heavy metal guitar. And an early work by Iannis Xenakis unifies the duo once again for an energetic, folk-infused finale in the spirit of Béla Bartók.
“Far away from the prescribed boundaries of western musical genres, Serret’s performance demonstrated artistic curiosity, musical flexibility, and virtuosity.”
“You could hear the.. bouncing, darting, quivering..interwoven and delicately trembling…pushing the boundaries of cello technique and Harris displayed remarkable artistry and technique.”
“Throughout the performance, Serret’s mastery of her instrument was undeniable, …her performance was seamless… a creative vision unbound by convention…Magic.”
