Toad Lane Concerts: Dimitra Ananiadou violin & Richard Whalley piano

Richard Whalley and Dimitra Ananiadou

The sensational Greek violinist Dimitra Ananiadou is a graduate of the Universities of Iona (Greece), York and Manchester. Along with her violin playing she has master’s degrees in musicology and historical performance and is currently a doctoral researcher at the University of Manchester. She has won the ‘Silver Award’ in the Virtuoso International Music Awards, the ‘Platinum Prize’ and the ‘Best Beethoven Performance Award’ in the Beethoven International Music Competition.

Dimitra was partnered by the industrious pianist and composer, Richard Whalley, senior lecturer in composition at the University of Manchester, a York graduate and Harvard PhD.

This celebrated pair made a welcome return to St Mary’s in the Baum, commenting on the generous acoustic they had enjoyed the previous year.

Their opening piece was Massenet’s Meditation from his opera ‘Thais’ arranged for violin and piano. Their enchanting playing produced a sublime evocation of the sultry eponymous courtesan.

This was followed by Ravel’s Pièce en forme de Habanera, an orchestral piece again arranged for violin and piano. This was similarly imbued with shades of that other famous sultry temptress, Carmen.

The main piece, Beethoven’s monumental Violin Sonata Op. 47, ‘Kreutzer’, is a work that requires great technique, passion and stamina. Both players had these qualities in abundance. An electrifying performance.

The sustained applause showed how much they were appreciated. Another top-class concert in the Toad Lane series. Demanding but successful and worth every minute.

To see details of forthcoming Toad Lane Concerts, click here.

Dr Joe Dawson