Imagine giving your first professional concert when the rest of your peers are just starting at primary school or performing with the London Symphony Orchestra when your peers are contemplating their GCSE exams: this is the extraordinary talent of violinist Leia Zhu, who has just turned nineteen and wowed the audience in St Peter’s Church, Stockbridge with a programme that ranged across two centuries.
Beginning with a two-movement Mozart sonata she immediately displayed poise, a sweet tone and pure intonation. The more dramatic moments were brought off most effectively and there was a lovely interplay between violin and piano, with Dina Duisen responding to every gesture from the violinist and playing with great delicacy. A huge contrast came with the César Franck sonata, a big piece for the violin and arguably even bigger for the pianist. This was a passionate and exciting performance, both players making the most of the drama but also really pointing up the lyrical aspects. Leia plays with great intensity and physical involvement in the music and in the turbulent second movement it was quite demonic. Massive respect to Dina who made the thunderous virtuoso piano part look effortless!
After the interval the temperature cooled a little with Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne, an arrangement of music from his neo-classical ballet Pulcinella. Leia characterised each movement well, capturing the varying moods – the loud pizzicato interruptions of the Serenade were so forceful that I almost feared for the safety of the Guarneri violin! The rhythmic excitement of the Finale was brilliantly conveyed.
Throughout the concert Leia revealed her enthusiasm with her chat to the audience between items and we learned that, apart from her love for music making, she also loves discovering different foods, and these chats really endeared her to the audience. Her final items blew away the November rain as she conveyed the sultry air of Cuba in the Havanaise by Saint-Saëns with its sensuous dance rhythms and then rounded off the evening with the Spanish composer Sarasate, whose brilliant show-stopper Introduction and Tarantella gave every opportunity for virtuoso display. Once again Dina Duisen revealed her stature at the piano as she followed every change in tempo and mood through these demanding pieces. The audience wanted more and Leia provided us with another piece by Sarasate, his virtuoso Zapataedo, full of violin effects and pyrotechnics. Simply fabulous! Well done to Paul Wing, Stockbridge Music’s Director of Music, who had heard Leia some six years ago and wanted to bring her to Stockbridge.
Reviewer: Duncan Eves
