Johannesburg, South Africa – Wolfgang David is a violinist from Vienna; an artist adorned in that school which in some ways differs somewhat from his contemporaries like the Russians Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin or the American Joshua Bell.
From the start with Mozart’s K301 Sonata one is placed in the special era of his compatriot Wolfgang Schneiderhan, technically completely in control but with a style of enchantment.
With his 1731-Guarneri and flowing stroke movements his Mozart sparkled so idiomatically delightful that one recalled the intimacy of a Viennese musical evening of the 18th century.
Franck’s violin Sonata was written for his violinist friend Ysaye as a wedding present, but it is also a part of the cello repertoire (transposed an octave lower). Owing to the fact that it is often heard on the lower instrument, one can attribute a heavier timbre to this passionate work. Consequently it was a delightful experience to hear it on the violin, above all in the hand of a soloist who is not concerned with extravagance. His emotionality is lyrical. The pianist Francois du Toit read David perfectly and mastered the piano score with the necessary control. Feathery passages in sweeping phrases bounded the musicians as a unity which gave momentum to the outstanding performance.
For a violinist of this nature the second half was surprising. After Bloch’s introvert Nigun came a lot of ‚encores‘ from Saint-Saens’s Havanaise to Kreisler’s Rhapsodic Fantasietta and Wieniawski’s Polonaise Brillante.
However, even in this display cabinet David did not succumb to purely technical infringements. Meaningful interpretations created a sort of salon atmosphere, also as a result of du Toit’s rich insight and judgement came to the fore.