Violinist packs five centuries into one evening
Michael Swan isn’t just a violinist, he’s a time traveller.
For his annual recital, Swan is playing music over five centuries. The oldest is Partita No. 1 by Johann Paul Westhoff, part of his Six Partitas for Solo Violin, published in 1696. It wasn’t discovered until 1971.
The most recent is a mere 33 years old, Swan’s own composition Fantasy No. 1. He wrote it after finishing school and before joining the Saskatoon Symphony, inspired in part during a trip to Salzburg when the air was full of the sound of church bells one Sunday morning.
Of special note are the caprices on the program from such composers as Niccolo Paganini, Charles Auguste de Beriot and Henri Vieutemps. In the 19th century, concert etudes or caprices developed from training vehicles for virtuosos to concert hall showpieces.
“They push the technical boundaries of the instrument. They’re probably the most colourful part of the program. But it’s more than pyrotechnics,” says Swan.
He’s been doing a recital annually for 10 years now. Preparing for it has become his off-season training regimen. But it’s not as if he’s been holed up all summer practising for eight hours a day.
“Actually, due to the intense physical demands of this repertoire, it would be dangerous to be practising hours and hours. So I would say it would be rare that I exceed two hours when I’m doing this. But it’s very intense.”
The recital is Sunday, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Admission is $25, students $15, family $50. Available at the door and McNally Robinson.