Review of Stealing Steps

Lincoln University’s International celebrity chamber music concert series joined forces to provide a forum for the first performance of a new work specially commissioned by Lincoln’s Convivium Music. This was with support from The Arts Council. John Woolrich’s new Duo for violin and viola “Stealing Steps” was performed by violinist Mi-Kyung Lee with Graham Oppenheimer on the viola.

This proved to be a very subtle and highly structured exploration of the wide range of sounds, both in quality and loudness of which both instruments are capable. The initial very long held single note on the violin with wonderfully controlled slow rising and falling of sound prefaced a virtuoso, sometimes caressingly intimate and sometimes seemingly argumentative interruption of each other’s phrases back and forth between the two instruments. This erupts into what seems to be quite a fierce argument between the voices but reconciliation follows with a very quiet almost cooing turtle dove like tremulous love-in with a final fading away rather than a flourish.

“New music” is something that Lincoln audiences are coming to appreciate. It is exciting to feel part of the creative process, for composers need audiences as much as audiences want music to be challenged by as well as meeting old friends.”

Colin Leakey – Lincolnshire Echo