A virtuoso of agricultural posture because he cares about the fate of our small planet and is dedicated to building bridges between culture and organic farming, violinist Emmanuel Vukovich continued his summer concert series on Sunday in this concert hall set up at the Cadet Roussel farm in the rural municipality of Mont Saint-Grégoire in Montérégie. The public recording of the premiere of three violin-piano duets by the composer was an uplifting experience for the small audience in attendance, and will likely be so for those who immerse themselves in this audio and video recording.

Prior to this concert on Sunday, September 14, we discussed this project with the three artists directly involved: Emmanuel, Canadian pianist and conductor Maria Fuller (from Saskatchewan), and American composer Sheila Silver (upstate New York), for the public recording of Resilient Earth. In a context of great environmental fragility, the inspiration of a response from our planet to the harmful actions of humankind is more than legitimate.

With this in mind, Sheila Silver has composed a work for violin and piano in three distinct parts. It is an extension of Resilient Earth, four caprices for solo violin composed between the summer of 2020 and February 2022. During the pandemic, the composer reflected on the ongoing destruction of our environment and became interested in ecological solutions to remedy it. A recording was made, and the performer and composer agreed to continue the experiment with these brand new duets.

From the outset, Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, masterfully performed by Emmanuel Vukovich and his colleague Maria Fuller, are clearly inspired by Balkan folklore, gradually migrating towards modernity to conclude in a powerful jig, percussive on the keyboards and strongly emphasized in the violin attacks. Composed 110 years ago, these dances heralded Bartók’s immense contribution to the modern adventure of music in the 20th century. We were therefore on familiar ground before moving on to the main course, Sheila Silver’s three duets.

Trees come from the Skies unfolds slowly with its harmonic progression on the keyboard, exploring harmonies that are clearly modern—from the first three decades of the 20th century. This work evokes the miracle of the forest as felt by the composer, the ability of trees to regenerate themselves and provide us with oxygen. The melodic phrases of the violin allow for beautiful flights into the high frequencies, and we then appreciate the dialogue between the pizzicato violin and the piano, which the motifs feed beautifully. In short, this is a neo-modern offering that any classical music lover should understand without difficulty.

We move on to Photosynthesis – Magic, an ode to photosynthesis and the Earth’s capacity for regeneration. The piece calms down for a moment, until it takes on a compound meter, allowing the two instruments to superimpose a contrapuntal discourse. This, incidentally, is reminiscent of Bartok-style Balkan modernism, which softens and offers magnificent piano motifs allowing the violin to develop a complementary discourse. The tempo changes add to the theatricality of the sound.

The climax is reached with Dracula Reimagined, undoubtedly the most violent of Sheila Silver’s three offerings. Forearms pressed against the keyboard, ten fingers digging deep into the ivory keys, atonal motifs, violent cadences, an organized maelstrom—this is a beautiful shortcut to a hybrid discourse built on modern harmonies from the previous century. In short, the forms observed in these three works are familiar and well-digested, even those in Dracula Reimagined, which are more violent and atonal at times. Sheila Silver prefers to create a beautiful set of references rather than impose new ones, much to the delight of her audience.

In conclusion, the second part of this delicious modern sandwich was served up, namely Béla Bartók’s Rhapsody for Violin and Piano No. 1 and Maurice Ravel’s Gypsy Rhapsody. The choice of Bartók and Ravel to open and close the program was not random; it fits perfectly with Sheila Silver’s neo-modern aesthetic, which nevertheless draws on more recent aesthetic periods without disrupting anything we know about them.

It goes without saying that such immersion in this musical modernity remains and will remain a most enriching experience for the vast majority of music lovers accustomed to baroque, classical, or romantic references. Here is another key to unlocking the doors to the present.

PROGRAM :
Romanian Folk Dances – Béla Bartók

Trees come from the Skies – Sheila Silver

Photosynthesis – Magic – Sheila Silver

Dracula Reimagined – Sheila Silver

Rhapsodie pour violon et piano n° 1 – Béla Bartók

Rhapsodie tzigane de concert – Maurice Ravel

MUSICIANS :

Maria Fuller – piano
Emmanuel Vukovich – violin