Violinist Timothy Fain interprets several classical pieces

WAYNE BLOOMINGDALE, FOR THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, March 1, 2002

One of the joys of concert attendance is the opportunity to hear emerging talent.

Such an event will occur on March 6, when violinist Timothy Fain appears in concert at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts.

A native of Santa Monica, Calif., Fain comes to Olympia as an AT&T 21st Century Masters artist. In 1999, he won first prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Two years later, he was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Appearing under the auspices of the Young Concert Artists Series in New York and Washington D.C., he earned outstanding reviews, including The Washington Post's comment, "Timothy Fain has everything he needs for a spectacular career."

Following his debut recitals, Fain was engaged for numerous concerts in the United States, Mexico and Europe. In May 2002, he will join Seattle Symphony conductor Gerard Schwarz in a program by the New York Chamber Symphony at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. Educational preparation for this blossoming career was gained with a bachelor's degree from Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and a master of music from the Julliard School in New York.

Fain has chosen a diversified program for the Olympia concert, opening with the Sonata in G by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). During his first Viennese period in 1781, Mozart wrote five violin sonatas.

The second of this series, in G Major-minor, is one of the most significant. It opens with a nobly spacious Adagio in the Italian manner, in which accompanying arpeggios grow and become magnificent, when the violin is silent. The melodic line is serene until the music plunges into the passionate pleading of the G minor allegro.

Mozart will be followed by the great contrast of the Hungarian composer Bela Bartok (1881-1945). A sickly child, Bartok was deprived of childhood games and spent his time in solitude with musical activities.

As a young man, he attended the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest. At 21, his first publication, four songs, appeared. During the following years of composition, he became intrigued by Hungarian folk music and used it often as the basis for his inspiration.

Bartok's performance career brought him to the United States in 1927. He returned in 1940 and decided to take up permanent residence. In 1944, the revered violinist Yehudi Menuhin commissioned him to write a violin sonata. Menuhin then introduced it in New York on Nov. 26, 1944, just short of a year before Bartok's death from leukemia. The sonata, in three movements, remains a staple of violin repertoire.

After intermission, Fain will return to play the Sonata in F Major by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847). Although he was no innovator, Mendelssohn nevertheless succeeded in creating his own language.

Born in Hamburg, Germany, he was the son of a wealthy banker and made his first appearance as a concert pianist at the age of 9. At the age of 20, he made the first of many trips to England, where his music eventually became highly regarded by critics and the public. His F Major Sonata for Violin was written in three movements, Allegro, Adagio and Allegro Vivace.

The program will close with the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, written in 1870, by French composer Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921). The first section is slow and melancholy, followed by a more lively Rondo. A brilliant coda allows the performer to display virtuoso technique.

One of the most versatile composers of all time, Saint-Saens has been described as "possessing an uncommon technical equipment. He was French in clearness of expression, logic, exquisite taste. His wit and brilliancy will earn him a name to be mentioned forever with respect."

Timothy Fain

- What: Violinist Timothy Fain will perform as part of the "21st Century Masters" program spotlighting young, classical musicians.

- When: 7:30 p.m. March 6.

- Where: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. S.E., Olympia.

- Tickets: $16.50, adults; $8.25 students.

- For information: Call The Washington Center box office at 360-753-8586.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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