Midori was born in Japan and started to play the violin when she was three. She moved with her mother to New York City when she was eleven in 1982. A last-minute change to the programme that year of the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta gave her the opportunity to make her debut, and she has not looked back since.
Özgür Aydin was born in Colorado to Turkish parents and began his music studies at the Ankara Conservatory in Turkey. He then studied at the Royal College of Music and at the Hannover Music Academy.
Not for the first time these two very talented musicians were on stage together. They were at The Queen’s Hall to play four pieces in their debut at the Edinburgh Festival.
The first and last pieces were familiar - Beethoven and Brahms - and beautiful they were. Several people around me were saying they had come to hear Midori play the Brahms. I am sure they were not disappointed. Bloch’s Violin Concerto No 2, written in late 1924, is called Poème mystique and represents the world as it should be. Clearly early twentieth music century it was interesting to hear.
Harder to take was the Davidovsky Duo Capriccioso, composed in 2003, and which required the pianist to pluck piano strings from time to time. Even his page turner had to have a go when the pianist was in full throttle. I just wish its performance had been given more of a flourish; it seemed a little too serious.
The abiding memory will be Midori’s energy and how she could turn her neck to ninety degrees to be right on top of her violin one moment and then be standing bolt upright the next, only then to be putting a step forward. Fascinating.
Performance details
- Beethoven, Violin Sonata No 4 in A minor
- Bloch, Violin Sonata No 2
- Davidovsky, Duo Capriccioso
- Brahms, Violin Sonata No 3 in D minor
The event was Thursday 26 August 11am. Broadcast by BBC Radio 3 on Tuesday 7 September 1pm