Having sponsored a concert of piano trios two weeks ago, the Summer School offered this Monday evening a program of music for the much rarer combination of violin and 'cello, a sparse medium that inflicts a good many special problems on the composer.
A Sanders Theatre audience of around 500 people heard three works performed by violinist Sheldon Kurland and 'cellist John Hsu, who are both members of the Cornell University music faculty and of the Cornell University Trio.
The opening work was the quaint Duet in D Major by Haydn. There followed the Duo for Violin and Violoncello by the contemporary composer Bohuslav Martinu, a work that is full of technical difficulties and cadenza-like passages for the two instruments. The final work was Ravel's splendid Sonata for Violin and Violoncello, which elicted the most enthusiastic response from the audience.
Both performers played very well, though Mr. Hsu proved to be a bit more accomplished than the violinist.
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