Classical duo find joy and excitement in great sonatas

Two rogue dynamos of classical performance once again break away from an orchestra setting and make beautiful music on stage together this Tuesday at the Music Center at Strathmore. Virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell teams up with his long-time recital partner, pianist Jeremy Denk when the Washington Performing Arts Society presents the two in an evening of sonatas written for violin and piano.

“Nothing is more rewarding than playing a full recital with an amazing collaborator like Jeremy Denk,” said Bell. “We are allowed to explore a great range of repertoire in one evening.”

Indeed, the evening’s range includes Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, Schumann’s Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano and Saint-Saens’ Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano.

“There are many factors that go into how we decide on a program, but one thing is always true — we will only choose pieces that we both truly love,” Bell said.

He also notes that while he and fellow Indiana University graduate Denk “share basic musical values necessary for a harmonious collaboration,” they also feed off each other’s differences, especially in concert.

“[There are] continuous adjustments on both sides, each night a slightly different pacing [and] approach,” Denk said. “Both of us, I think, are interested in keeping the electricity of a piece flowing throughout, communicating the sweep of the story to the audience, getting across the bigger meaning — especially in large halls.”

However, “communicating the sweep” is seldom as easy as it appears, especially given the inherent melodious quality of the pieces. For example, there is the Bach sonata.

“Bach is always a tremendous challenge,” Denk continued. “You have to make a lot of choices because [he] writes just amazing notes and very few instructions. Also, there is the question of ‘translating’ it to modern instruments. However, the two slow movements in this sonata are among the most beautiful pieces I can think of.”

And if it is all about the beauty of the works, then Bell nails it when he says, “Our greatest hope is that the audience will walk away with at least some of the joy and excitement that we get from these incredible works.”