I Can Haz Melody

Friday night, I went to Gallery 345 for a violin and piano recital. Violinist Andréa Tyniec had a surprise for the audience. She will be performing on the 1689 Baumgartner Stradivari which she recently got on loan from the Canadian Musical Instrument Bank. But the first piece, a modern composition by Ana Sokolovic, may have disappointed some who might be expecting heavenly sounds from a "Strad". Though it gave Tyniec freedom to explore all sorts of sound-making, it was resolutely contemporary and dissonant.

However, a virtuoso solo piece from Eugène Ysaÿe (Sonata no. 6) and the catchy Le Grand Tango (Astor Piazzolla) with Todd Yaniw allowed more traditional tones. That was one fine instrument. After the break, it was time for Yaniw to also solo with Prelude Chorale and Fugue (Cesar Franck). The evening ended with beautiful playing of Brahms' Sonata no. 3.