MUSIC REVIEW : Maria Bachmann at Ambassador

From the very first bars of Stravinsky’s “Suite Italienne,” the opening work on Maria Bachmann’s recital at Ambassador Auditorium on Monday, it was clear that the young violinist has the expressive capacity, the poise and the technical wherewithal to be placed among a very select group of musicians.

The Curtis Institute graduate, whose program represented the second installment in Ambassador’s Gold Medal Violin Series, brought extraordinary refinement to everything she played. She displayed a seamless, flowing lyricism and produced an unusually pure, silken tone. One might be accustomed to hearing the Stravinsky work with more bite, but she and pianist Jon Klibonoff made a convincing case for their soft-edged, elegant approach.

In Brahms’ G-major Sonata, the violinist delivered pianissimo passages with breathtaking subtlety, but soared dramatically where needed. All the while, Klibonoff proved an alert, sympathetic partner whose lyrical capacities equal Bachmann’s. This was by no means an indulgent reading, but an intelligent and moving one.

Following intermission, the two offered the world premiere performance of George Rochberg’s Sonata, a four-movement essay that alternates between meditative probing and outbursts of frenzy. Highly emotional in character, the work covers a wide dynamic range, on which the pair effectively capitalized. Several moments--particularly the elegiac beginning and the soft, poignant ending--made strong, effective impact, but the episodic, stop-and-go design of each movement (except the first) detracted from the composition’s dramatic flow.

The violinist’s considerable technical prowess found an impressively suitable vehicle in the pyrotechnics of Sarasate’s “Carmen” Fantasy.

A single encore--Kreisler’s “Schon Rosmarin”--brought a delightful close to the proceedings.