The Great Confrontation
By Marina Kochetova
Sunday, June 28, turned out to be a hot day in Ottawa. Many people escaped the heat by heading out of town. Those who stayed in the capital for the weekend were probably hiding in shopping malls. Yet some, despite the heavy weather, came to Woodroffe United Church for a classical concert performed by three professionals: Anna Baksheeva on violin, Natalia Bibik on piano, and Fenny Marks on cello. They gave a magnificent and highly successful concert featuring works by Beethoven in the first half and Debussy after the intermission. The performance lasted more than two hours.
Summer is vacation season, so a full house was not expected. The audience, mostly Russian-speaking and including many people with children and grandchildren, did not seem to have simply stumbled upon the concert announcement on Facebook. Rather, it felt as though they had come deliberately to hear this particular performance. Among those present were many current and former students of these three wonderful performers, who are also music teachers, as well as many people who regularly attend concerts by this exact ensemble, regardless of the program.
The musicians choose their repertoire themselves. To perform Beethoven and Debussy virtuoso-style in one concert is a serious challenge, since legends have long circulated about the great confrontation between these two brilliant composers.
Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata, named after the French violinist R. Kreutzer, to whom the composer dedicated the work, made a phenomenal impression on the writer Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy later named his own literary work — the scandalous novella about the destructive power of hypocrisy and jealousy — after Beethoven’s musical composition.
Claude Debussy, born more than a century after the great Beethoven, became the founder of a new direction in music: so-called musical Impressionism. Debussy believed that, since the time of the unsurpassed Beethoven, the traditional symphonic form had to be replaced by something new — it had become too formulaic and therefore outdated. A sonata is a symphony in miniature. For this reason, Debussy’s sonatas differ profoundly from Beethoven’s. To hear them in one concert is a great rarity; to hear them performed by the same musicians within one program is even rarer. Only professionals of the highest calibre can cope with such a demanding task. That is why it is especially gratifying that our Russian-speaking community has musicians of this level. They are outstanding not only in their performing mastery, but also in teaching children music.
Anna Baksheeva also hosted the concert. She did not merely announce the pieces — everyone had received a printed program in advance — but spoke with the audience in English, drawing attention to the most interesting musical moments. To my mind, her participation in this concert was a true feat. Only a few months ago, she became a mother. Rehearsing such serious works with an infant in one’s arms is far from easy.
The concert was a great success. I believe everyone who attended would agree with me. We will be eagerly awaiting new performances by these talented Ottawa musicians.