Classical CD: Natalia Lomeiko: Prokofiev Violin Sonatas

CD cover for Natalia Lomeiko Prokofiev Violin Sonatas.

Ten years ago some of us witnessed Natalia Lomeiko's dramatic victory in the Michael Hill International Violin Competition on Auckland's Town Hall stage, although most of her international successes have been relayed through the media.

Lomeiko is a popular soloist with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, returning this October to play Bruch.

She premiered Christopher Blake's Concerto Aoraki in 2006 and, five years later, enchanted us with Berg.

The violinist's Prokofiev CD on Atoll Records features three sonatas - two with pianist Olga Sitkovetsky, the other with her violinist husband Yuri Zhislin.

This is music close to Lomeiko's heart.

She grew up in Russia, listening to Prokofiev; and not only the expected Peter and the Wolf - her mother played these sonatas at home.

Little wonder, then, that the magnificent F minor work unfurls such an emotional panorama in its 29 minutes.

A moody Andante, peppered with passion, is followed by an Allegro brusco - the musical equivalent of a heart-in-mouth boxing match (Andrew Keener's production affords us a ringside seat).

Glorious song heals all wounds in the Andante, as the muted beauty of Lomeiko's violin melts into Sitkovetsky's cool piano textures.

There is more lyricism to come, but the finale is basically an energetic dance - until its hushed ending, aptly described by its composer as "wind passing through a graveyard".

The second, better-known

D major Sonata opens with Lomeiko floating melodious serpentines over Prokofiev's iridescent harmonies, shifting and changing like shot silk in light.

The delight here is the spiky Presto, a maniacally insistent waltz with an unsettlingly bleak middle section that may reflect the circumstances of the war years in which the piece was written.

The Five Melodies of Opus 35 are a decided bonus: imaginative character pieces, benefiting from the unerring intonation of the stylish Lomeiko and the subtly gauged partnership of Sitkovetsky.

Lomeiko and Yuri Zhislin give a zesty account of the Opus 56 Sonata for two violins.

Their interaction ranges from witty banter and impressive duelling to an unforgettably tender roam in and around G minor for the touching third movement.

Stars: 5/5
Natalia Lomeiko: Prokofiev Violin Sonatas (Atoll)
Verdict: New Zealand violinist celebrates her Russian heritage with style.