A refreshing evening from a soloist at the start of his career, sharing the platform with one of the classical music industry's superstars. Kim Bernard was fortunate to have become the first Laureate of the Foundation Gautier Capuçon, bringing with it a number of prestigious concert dates, several shared with Capuçon himself, as was the case here at Wigmore Hall. Bernard flew solo for the first portion of the concert, taking flight, after a slow start, with a Chopin favourite, the Barcarolle in F sharp. His undemonstrative, sensitive approach to the ebb and flow of the lines and emotions ultimately made their mark, in this sometimes elusive piece.
One felt that Bernard was fully settled and more at home with Debussy's Images, Set 1 that followed. In these pieces, where colours and atmosphere reign supreme, a flexibility of touch and the technical ease were on show, particularly in Reflets dans l’eau which shimmered with flecks of modal harmonies and liquid pentatonic melodies. Mouvement was also impressive in its combination of lightness and precision.
Bernard faced his greatest challenge in Le Tombeau de Couperin. This set of loosely neoclassical pieces that Ravel composed while on active service during World War 1, is a tough nut to crack. On the page, these six scores are very detailed, but they need to sound simple and spontaneous. Bernard was mostly exemplary in his tasteful delicacy of fingerwork, only falling short in the tempos of the Forlane, which needed to more along more swiftly, and in the Rigaudon, which seemed slightly rushed. The Toccata was an exciting final flourish to an impressive interpretation.
Capuçon joined the party with Schumann's Fantasiestücke, Op.73. Composed at lightning speed in 1849, these pieces show the composer at his ‘Romantic’ best. They need an impromptu approach, with flexible phrasing and subtle colouration, which they certainly received here. Capuçon’s burnished, reedy tone blended with the fascinating piano part to perfection, sounding like a true partnership of equals.
The main course for the duo was a rare outing for the once popular Cello Sonata in A minor by Grieg. This stormy work can sound melodramatic in the wrong hands, but the impassioned playing of Capuçon and Bernard avoided that pitfall by their sheer commitment and technical assurance. The virtuoso piano part demonstrated Bernard’s potential more than any of the evening's other performances. He achieved a rounded weight of tone, alongside a touching lyricism, particularly in the glowing second subject of the opening Allegro agitato. Capuçon was powerful and heroic when he needed to take centre stage, but generously stepped back to allow the piano part to shine – a wonderful example of emotional understanding and musical cooperation.
