The Foundation for Chinese Performing Art, founded in 1989, bestowed another favor on concertgoers at Jordan Hall this weekend— an evening of solo violin performance by Berlin-based Ning Feng, winner of the 2006 Paganini International Violin Competitions. His musical advocacy, with broadly eloquent tone, generosity of expression and superb technique, reached beyond all expectations. His program, “The Ultimate Solo Violin,” awed and mesmerized. Alone on stage, he evoked rapt audience concentration.

Three centuries and a bit ago, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote six solo violin compositions as part of a commission. Of the three partitas and three sonatas, the massive Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004 stands out. A gargantuan work, it demands flawless technique, musicality and stamina. Feng began with this oft-performed and widely acclaimed masterpiece. Many a violinist accepts this challenge. After the first four traditional Baroque movements, allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue, it concludes with with the massive chaconne, perhaps the Everest of such works. Here, Feng dove into the Allemanda with singing intent, demonstrating pleasure, concentration and joy, despite the minor key. The relatively optimistic Corrente flowed, and the Sarabande was reflective, even solemn. Then always welcome, the Gigue provided some merriment. All of this leading to the unique masterpiece, the Chiaccona, which Feng delivered admirably. Many said they had never heard a more nuanced and successful rendering of this partita. He put across this miracle of implied counterpoint, in part by coloring his tone into distinct registers. Though he avoided vibrato, his approach felt romantic through the power of his tone and his flexibility of tempo.

The next selection linked to the first—the A minor Sonata, Opus 27 of Eugne Ysaӱe (1858-1931), who was inspired by Bach to write six works for solo violin himself, this one (dedicated to Jacques Thibaud) with a different take—movements named for feelings—Obsession: Prelude; Malinconia; Danse des ombres Sarabande; and Les furies. And again, Feng captured the hearts of those present. The four movements nod to antiquity, dance themes and emotion and many references to Bach’s third partita for solo violin. Here, I.Obsession, Prelude provided Feng a virtuosic opportunity, together with chromatics both quoted from Bach yet marking the work as distinctly 20^th century—Feng’s technical mastery and concentration displayed his versatility throughout. II. Malinconia imparted nostalgia and regret, muted and with a hint towards the ending of the Dies irae to come. III. Danse des Ombres: Sarabande with its pizzicato, six variations again with Dies irae foreshadowing the fourth, the fiery Les furies movement. This work granted the audience the space to experience the depth of Feng’s enchantment—he “owned” the work, and we had the chance to hear his mastery on the 1710 Strad, the “Vieuxtemps Hauser,” kindly made possible by Premiere Performances of Hong Kong and fitted with Thomastick-Infeld strings from Vienna. But even if he were Strad-deprived, he would likely shine anyhow.  Heifetz famously said that he could be Heifetz on a cigar box.

The final work within Ysaӱe’s Opus 27, and played before intermission, the Sonata No. 6 in E Major, dedicated to the violinist Manuel Quiroga, who actually never performed it, created a distinct departure, with Iberian flavor, played as a single movement, Allegro giusto non troppo vivo with many challenges, including rapid double stops and demanding chords. Feng’s mighty left hand took it all in stride.

Intermission gave the audience the chance to absorb the breadth of Feng’ s performance and eagerly anticipate the final portion of the concert—half of the 24 Caprices for Solo Violin by Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840), published in 1830, but probably composed around 1805. Those the soloist selected included four particularly “famous” caprices—Number 11, with shimmering arpeggios; Number 9, La chasse, which evokes features of the hunt ; Number 13, Le rire du diable; and the last, Number 24 in A minor, noted as the variation-filled Finale, an inspiration to more than a score of other composers who’ve based works on it. These short works granted Feng the presence to wow the audience with his expression and masterful technique, which indeed he did. He certainly played lots of notes, including many big double and triple stops, bowing combined with pizzicatos, and scales in octaves, as he employed coloristic devices of subtlety, grandeur, and bold wit.

Over-the-top audience reception encouraged two splendid encores. First, the adagio from Bach’s violin Sonata No.1 in G Minor, which Feng explained has special meaning for him, and then, Francisco Tárrega’s “Recuerdos de la Alhambra” as arranged by Ruggiero Ricci, which placed us in the warmest of climes.

In all, an energizing evening, of which I have just one regret—Feng is so articulate, insightful and generous that he is one of those rare artists whose personal commentary could have enhanced an already spectacular evening. But for now, I can’t wait to hear him again. He will be playing the Paganini Concerto No. 1 with the Baltimore Symphony under Marin Alsop on Apri1 4^th.

Julie Ingelfinger a classically trained pianist who studied at the Hartt School of Music, Aspen Music Festival and School and at Harvard, enjoys her day jobs as professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, pediatric nephrologist at Mass General Hospital for Children and deputy editor at the New England Journal of Medicine.