Tim Homfray attends the solo performance of Bach, Scott Wheeler, Max Raimi and Reena Esmail at London’s Wigmore Hall 13 November 2024

Gil Shaham

Gil Shaham. Photo: Chris Lee

Three of Bach’s solo violin works formed the bulk of Gil Shaham’s concert. He didn’t hang about, launching straight into the Sonata no.2 in A minor, playing with the beautiful shaping that was a hallmark of the evening. The fugue was fast: where others shape individual phrases, he shaped whole paragraphs, giving the music an irresistible conversational quality. The Andante was also faster than usual, its melody subtly crafted over the trudging lower voice, and he clipped stylishly through the final Allegro.

In the opening Allemande of the D minor Partita, the semiquaver runs sounded almost improvised, the Courante and Sarabande displaying moments of intimate delicacy, and the sheer exuberance of the Gigue was a delight. The great Chaconne was full of colourful incidental detail and finely sculpted phrasing. It was the sort of performance where you might say ‘Gosh!’ at the end, which I did!

Three recent works opened the second half. Scott Wheeler’s playful Isolation Rag was followed by Max Raimi’s Violin Etude: Anger Management, a piece full of often astringent double-stops, and Reena Esmail’s Indian-tinged When the Violin.

He closed with Bach: in the Preludio of the E major Partita, Shaham once again brought shape and eloquence through judicious accenting. The Loure was brisk and the following movements dynamically expressive. The final Gigue flew by, much of it sotto voce.

Tim Homfray