Rachel Barton Pine, violin, began her Sunday Gardner museum concert with pianist Matthew Hagle by explaining how Brahms wrote his Violin Sonata No 1 in G Major, Op. 78 almost certainly for private home performances. The opening theme is played first by the violin. The long-short-long rhythm evokes a sigh, and Barton Pine, playing at mezza voce communicated the atmosphere perfectly. As the thematic material grows into scales and arpeggios, the two maintained a tranquil and calm atmosphere. The drama begins at m. 25 with the violin reaching a high G, underpinned by G major chords played forte in the piano. The second theme (m. 36) which retains the dotted rhythm is a gorgeous expansion and flowering of the first. Barton Pine’s woody timbre, relentless flow and slight accelerando extracted the full earthiness of this moment. The drama increases as the violin plays melody 2 one octave higher, with doubling by the piano’s highest voice. Both players met the challenges well, although some of the underlying arpeggios in the piano lacked clarity. The swirling and drama take a break about one third of the way through with a grounded chorale (dotted rhythm still present) of uncomplicated beauty. This listener longed for greater dynamic contrasts, but the musicians nonetheless conveyed the rapid mood changes.

The Adagio features a flowing melody in dotted rhythm, clearly referencing the long-short-long motto we have just heard. The piano’s opening sounded a bit plodding, but this shortcoming vanished as the piece progressed and the ensemble came together. More than in the other two movements, the violin played the melody, with the piano in accompaniment mode. The third movement’s opening evokes the pitter patter of rain and we are back to the give and take of the first movement. Although the piano sometimes overpowered the violin, the interchange was lively. The piece ends tranquillo in G major.

The second of Brahms’s violin sonatas, opus 100, exudes lyricism and optimism.  The opening theme, a pleasant waltz, exudes a straightforward human warmth that is rare in Brahms. The players beautifully balanced throughout, and from the beginning we relished the elegance of Barton Pine’s soprano lines. The piano writing is unusually florid for Brahms, bringing at times, Chopin to mind. Hagle made the most of these moments, with a subtle rubato and shimmering tone. The calm Andante tranquillo alternates with a lively dance (Vivace), the overall mood still sunny and optimistic. The Allegretto grazioso is peaceful and unhurried. This listener felt that Hagle was more comfortable and confident than in the first sonata, again befitting the calm, consistent mood of the piece.

The violin version of Brahms’s op. 120, Sonata for clarinet or viola and piano, has been largely forgotten. When Barton Pine queried how many in the audience had heard the violin version, not one hand went up. She and Hagle aim to change that, and given how beautiful their performance was, they will probably succeed. The piano opens with a four-bar introduction. At m. 5 the violin enters with a broadly arching theme. Barton Pine played with a touch of melancholy that both both partners maintained, as the first episode tapered to a close. A quiet, but agitated theme is introduced accompanied by arpeggios in the piano. The violin leads with sighing, descending, broken thirds and the piano follows in canon. Ultimately it all dies away and we are brought back to the theme heard at the opening. The duo kept the listener oriented with consistent phrasing and meticulous articulation.  The development expands on ideas heard in the introduction; one section that stood out was a repeat of the sighing, broken thirds of the exposition, with the performers artfully imitating one another. A dramatic diminuendo and slight slowing signaled the closing section.  The opening theme and fragments of it now travel through multiple keys, ultimately arriving at their original pitches, and concluding in F major, the parallel major of the opening key.

The main texture of the second movement consists of chords alternating with gentle turning figures. Those, along with a deep emotional resonance and stately pacing, brought to mind the Sarabandes of J.S. Bach. Barton Pine followed Brahms’s directions, playing the theme forcefully at the outset, and dolce in its second iteration. The piano provided a stable and tranquil background, playing the theme only once in the entire movement.  The instrument’s arpeggiated figures floated in Hagle’s hands. The movement ends pianissimo with a reiteration of the head figure of the main motif.

The Allegretto grazioso suggests the Austrian Ländler, a waltz-like peasant dance. Melody and accompaniment bounce between the instruments, and though the mood occasionally becomes boisterous, wistfulness and nostalgia prevail. The piano opens the Vivace assertively with three repeated F’s underpinned by F major arpeggios. The violin introduces the grazioso rondo theme at m. 9. Barton Pine’s light touch and bouncing staccato provided a fresh moment of enchantment. Tonalities and motivic material travel far as the movement progresses, but a combination of the repeated F’s and the rondo theme is reiterated at crucial moments. The piece closes with three repeated F major chords.

They encored with the Scherzo the 20-year-old Brahms penned as one movement of the F.A.E. sonata, a collaborative work with two movements by Robert Schumann and one by Schumann’s pupil Albert Dietrich. It evokes the exuberance of youth. The musicians reveled in the pulsating rhythm and unrestrained dynamics.

The inclusion of the violin version of op 120 made this recital an unusual and outstanding homage to Brahms. The story of Barton Pine’s violin only added to that aspect of the event.  As she explained, Brahms picked out the instrument (a Guarneri del Jesu) for Marie Soldat and arranged for a wealthy benefactor to purchase it and loan it to her. Barton Pine has been playing the very same violin since 2002, on a permanent loan from its owner.  Needless to say, the instrument had a deeply resonant tone, and in Barton Pine’s hands, a very broad range of acoustic colors. What a wonderful occasion; we look forward to more from this outstanding duo.

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