United Kingdom C. Schumann, Beethoven, Schubert: Júlia Pusker (violin), Christia Hudziy (piano). Wigmore Hall, London, 4.2.2025. (LJ)

Clara Schumann – Three Romances, Op.22
Beethoven – Violin Sonata No.10 in G, Op.96
Schubert – Rondo in B minor, D895
It is wonderful to hear compositions by Clara Schumann performed at the opening of a concert. Júlia Pusker (violinist) and Christia Hudziy (piano) began their Sunday Morning recital with the composer’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op.22 (1853). These Romances are Clara Schumann’s only works for violin and piano. They were dedicated to the violinist Joseph Joachim who later became a close friend. Schumann composed relatively few pieces because of her extremely busy performing schedule, her husband (Robert’s) increasing reliance on her support at the piano during rehearsals for performances of his work, and her demanding family life (she had ten pregnancies and gave birth to eight children within nine years!). These Romances were written in July 1853, when, having recently moved to a new apartment on Bilkerstrasse in Düsseldorf, she finally had a room of her own with a piano. They would be some of her very last compositions. Of the three Romances, Pusker’s performance of the Romance in G minor was especially compelling. Her tone was rich, and she played the main theme at the beginning and towards the end of the movement wistfully. The third Romance in B-flat was also noteworthy because of how Pusker and Hudziy demonstrated their interconnectedness in terms of both their use of dynamics and phrasing. Hudziy also showcased her skill in this fast-paced and melodic accompaniment.
Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No.10 in G major, Op.96, was written in 1812 for the French violinist Peirre Rode who had arrived in Vienna that year. It is known for its charm and beauty, voiced eloquently by Pusker and Hudziy in their opening trills. Their performance of the second movement (Adagio espressivo) was magnificent and their timing between this movement and the third movement, marked Scherzo, was on point. On the surface, this lyrical sonata may seem simple and modest, but within this subtlety there lies a great deal of complexity. Pusker and Hudziy seemed unperturbed by this complexity, playing the piece with a level of clarity and reflexiveness that belies their accomplished technical skill.
As with Clara Schumann’s and Beethoven’s pieces for violin and piano, Schubert’s Rondo in B minor (1826) was originally composed with someone in mind. Schubert wrote his Rondo for the young Bohemian violinist, Josef Slawík, whom he first met in Vienna in 1826. Pusker’s recording of this piece, along with other works for violin by Schubert, can be found on the aptly titled Schubert on Violin: Works for Violin & Piano where she is accompanied by fellow Hungarian Zoltán Fejérvári (released by Hungaroton in 2022). Unlike Beethoven’s violin sonata, which is delicate and resists virtuoso passages, there is no mistaking that Schubert’s Rondo is a virtuoso piece intended, first and foremost, to show off the violinist’s skills. As the well-respected Schubertian, John Reed, says of the Rondo: ‘It is a virtuoso work which inspires respect rather than affection’ (Master Musicians: Schubert, 1997, p.136). The piece is structured to include a scherzo-like theme in G major and a march in B major. Pusker ended the concert with this display of virtuosity as she ripped through the Più mosso version of the march in B major with impressive accuracy, speed, and character suitable for a piece that is full of energy and joy. Fittingly, Pusker played this Rondo and the Schumann Romances from memory, only using sheet music for the Beethoven violin sonata. In every way, Pusker demonstrated that she is ready to be ranked as one of today’s virtuosos. By the end of her recital, I was inclined to agree.
For the encore, Pusker and Hudziy performed Béla Bartók’s Andante in A major for Violin and Piano (1902) with Pusker dedicating the performance to her late teacher György Pauk who passed away in November last year. In October 2024, Pauk loaned his violin, the 1714 ‘Massart’ Stradivarius, to Pusker and it was on this beautiful instrument she performed Sunday’s concert. As an homage to Pauk, the great interpreter of Bartók’s music, Pusker played the short andante with simplicity, depth and a singing quality for which Pauk was known.
In April, Pusker will join the Basel Chamber Orchestra, led by the young Lithuanian conductor Izabelė Jankauskaitė, to perform Bartók’s First Violin Concerto in Budapest and then in Basel. If the snippet of Bartók I heard on Sunday is anything to go by, this, like Pusker, will be very memorable indeed.
Lucy Jeffery
We loved this concert too! Two wonderful musicians with a very bright future.