Violin Capital of the World

The Virtuoso Violin

Holy Trinity Church

Stratford-upon-Avon

Christopher Morley

Birmingham Post,

10th August 2005

'In late July and early August Stratford-upon-Avon is home not only to thousands of Shakespeare enthusiasts and tourists, but also to serious young students of flute and violin from around the world.

The flute festival ended last Saturday, and Monday saw the concluding event of the 5th season of the Virtuoso Violin festival, held under the directorship of Rimma Sushanskaya.

Here Sushanskaya relinquished her Stradivarius and took up her newly-acquired baton to conduct a string orchestra mainly comprised of students on the high-powered course.

Responsive to Sushanskaya's beat which unerringly set the right tempo, these immensely gifted young players gave lively and understanding accounts of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (hard driven from the conductor in the Russian style, and needing more lyricism) and Britten's Simple Symphony.

The latter is more difficult to bring off than it sounds, but here Sushanskaya's judicious use of an economic left hand brought about many expressive nuances - and there was a beautiful golden pizzicato from two violas during the 'Sentimental Sarabande'.

With the festival devoted to the searching violin works of Paganini and Bach, the second half began with hugely accomplished accounts of two of the former's Caprices from the star student Anna Ovsyanikova, double-stopping and intonation securely rock-solid, bowing devilish and daring.

Finally Bach's Double Concerto (with a welcome harpsichord sometimes a rarity in Stratford) paired different students for each movement, ending with Sushanskaya partnering Ovsyanikova in superbly shaded communication of the finale's vitality.'