Concert review: Augustin Dumay (violin) Denis Kozhukhin (piano)

Nathan Milstein and Isaac Stern carried on performing into their eighties, so we should not be surprised to see French violin legend Augustin Dumay still on stage at 76. Even so, having him at Wigmore Hall did feel like an occasion, which was reflected by the near-capacity Sunday audience.

Apart from the fact that he played seated, nothing had changed – the sound of his 1743 Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ was as sweet and his bowing as fluid as ever.

For Schumann’s Three Romances op.94 the well-worn copy Dumay used seemed symbolic of his six decades as a soloist. He and Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin perfectly captured the music’s subtle ebb and flow and the sinister little opening theme of no.3 had a perfect fairytale quality.

It was inspirational to see how beautifully Dumay used his bow, varying its pressure and speed for his expressive palette. In Brahms’s Second Violin Sonata the richness of his tone on the G string was like a full-bodied wine, especially potent in the Allegretto grazioso. Brahms’s ‘FAE’ Scherzo followed, full of fire and excitement, with the pair fully in their element.

The finesse of Dumay’s playing was a perfect fit for Beethoven’s C minor Sonata op.30 no.2 – noticeable in the delicacy with which he played the opening phrase and total mastery at the tip of the bow in the dotted theme. The off-kilter scherzo with its punchy sforzandos ran straight into a fizzing finale – exciting stuff.

JANET BANKS