Festival of Chichester: Beethoven with Bogdan and Victor

Romanian violinist Bogdan Vacarescu joins with Russian pianist Victor Ryabchikov at Pallant House Gallery for the Festival of Chichester on Saturday, July 15 at 12 noon.
Romanian violinist Bogdan Vacarescu with Russian pianist Victor RyabchikovRomanian violinist Bogdan Vacarescu with Russian pianist Victor Ryabchikov
Romanian violinist Bogdan Vacarescu with Russian pianist Victor Ryabchikov

They will offer: Beethoven – Sonata No 7; Pugnani-Kreisler – Preludium and Allegro; F A Schubert – The Bee; F P Schubert – Ave Maria; and Sarasate – Caprice Basque. Tickets £14.

Bogdan said: “It is a beautiful collaboration with Victor and I am really happy that we have got the chance to do some Beethoven together. Beethoven is one of my favourites when it comes to sonatas for violin and piano or actually anything.

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“It was a couple of years ago, maybe three years ago, that we first played together. It is so easy to lose track of time, but it was through the Festival of Chichester, and one thing led to another and they said ‘Why don’t you two guys meet up and play some stuff?’ Now it is nice to be able to be back again with Victor.

“Victor’s approach is very different. There are so many schools of music and I connect with Victor on a different level. I’m not saying it is better or worse. It is just a different level and it is challenging to switch those styles. He has got the Russian school, and I have got the Franco-Flemish school which is a bit more free in interpretation. For me it is a beautiful challenge because I don’t really tend to play in the Russian style which is more firm and more by the book. It means going by standards that allow you less freedom in how you approach music. I don’t really branch out much from my Franco-Flemish school, and so it is a beautiful thing when we work together. The last concert we did was very beautiful.

“Beethoven is perfect for us. I think Beethoven writes so clearly. Everything that he wants to happen in the music is there and for me as an interpreter it is just a question of fine-tuning things here and there, a little bit.

“You don’t want to change very much in the writing of his music. He puts down everything he wants to happen, and the effects are amazing as opposed to, say, Bach who is another genius but hardly wrote anything about what to do with his music which makes it so much harder, but Beethoven wrote everything. I take some liberties sometimes which I quite like to do to challenge myself, and I like to think I Beethoven might say ‘Oh! I quite like that!’ but I don’t mess about with Beethoven too much. It is just so amazing, the notes that he puts down.”

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Tickets from the Chichester Box Office, The Novium; or 01243 816525.

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