David Park
David Park, the Utah Symphony’s assistant concertmaster, will present a recital Wednesday in Dumke Recital Hall in David Gardner Hall on the University of Utah campus. It begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free of charge.
On the program are three major works: J.S. Bach’s Sonata No. 2 in A minor for solo violin; Beethoven’s Violin Sonata in C minor, op. 30, no. 2; and Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor.
In an email to Reichel Recommends Park said that a program consisting of works by these three composers is seldom done today. “This idea of presenting a concert of these three masters is something that is rarely seen these days, and is a project of great magnitude. It has been a great joy and privilege preparing these masterworks, and I would like to present this to the public as a gift of music.”
The three composers present challenges for the violinist, Park said, adding that Bach’s music is “the standard bearer for violin playing, especially his fugues and the Chaconne [from the D minor Partita].”
But despite its demands, playing Bach’s A minor Sonata is rewarding. “…To memorize and internalize the spirit of the whole work, [and] to connect the relationships of each movement, makes it a great journey. I have had wonderful experiences with the music of Bach,” including a memorable performance of the D minor Chaconne at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral.
As to the Beethoven sonata, Park compares it favorably to the Kreutzer Sonata. “I consider his C minor Sonata to be a kind of double concerto with the piano, like his Kreutzer Sonata. It is a dramatic work much like his symphonic masterpiece, the Fifth Symphony, also in C minor, which [he] wrote shortly after this sonata. The key of C minor gives [the sonata] a dark beauty….”
The music of Brahms holds a special place for Park, because Brahms “learned from the past masters, such as Bach and Beethoven, and developed his unique style of romanticism with rigorous form.”
The D minor Sonata is a fine example of this. “This third and last sonata exemplifies this element, and adds a scherzo movement to make this work in four movements,” Park said.