The Golden Age

Violin’s golden age at the dawn of the 20th century saw virtuoso players Fritz Kreisler and Jascha Heifetz conquer the concert halls, and witnessed the heady music of Gershwin, Debussy, Satie, Bruch, and company. Ray Chen’s programme places Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 at its center, in a performance of lyrical sweetness, velvet tone, and fierce virtuosity. Surrounding the Concerto, however, are charming salon pieces by Kreisler and Cyril Scott plus four enticing miniatures played by Chen and quartet Made in Berlin, including “A New Satiesfaction,” a play on the music of Erik Satie, with nods to Rossini and Grieg. To finish, a tribute to Chen’s Australian roots in the form of a riotous arrangement of “Waltzing Matilda”.