Dumay and Vanden Eynden are masterful

Augustin Dumay is this year’s Chamberfest literal poster boy, his steely gaze and patrician forehead looming large all over the city. Originally, Dumay was scheduled to headline with frequent artistic collaborator, pianist Louis Lortie — the pair released an acclaimed recording of the Brahms violin sonatas last year. But in May, Lortie cancelled his Ottawa appearance for health reasons, so on Friday Dumay performed sonatas by Brahms, Debussy, Ravel and Beethoven with the distinguished Belgian pianist Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden.

The artistic relationship between Dumay and Lortie is so simpatico, one critic compared it to a “Vulcan mind meld.” I can’t speak to Vanden Eynden’s skills as an alien telepath, but this was a masterful performance by two great artists at the summit of their technical and expressive powers.

Their playing agreed in refinement and insight, and each was elevated by the magnificent generosity of the other. Even their differences were complementary. Dumay, tall and lanky, plays with an almost ferocious intensity, throwing his whole body into his bowing. Vanden Eynden provides him with a poised, tranquil foundation, one carved out of a massive, rich, mahogany sound reminiscent of Egon Petri. It’s a mystery why we don’t hear this extraordinary pianist on this side of the Atlantic more often; he’d deserve his own solo recital at Chamberfest.

Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 3 received a sober, deeply sensitive and tender performance. The outer movements especially showcased Dumay’s buttery, smoky sound and Vanden Eynden’s expansive, breathing-room approach to phrasing.

With its odd, choppy, conversational feel, Debussy’s Impressionist G minor violin sonata demands the closest attention and hair-trigger reaction between the players. Dumay was all supple articulation and playful inventiveness, emphasizing the work’s modernity as well as its hothouse exoticism. For an encore, the duo gave a lush, unabashedly sentimental performance of the slow movement from Richard Strauss’ violin sonata. The audience was appreciative, but far from soldout. It’s a pity so many people missed such a memorable recital.