Cygnus Arioso 2026 Season Kicks Off with Stellar Performance at UWA
Artistic director Akiko Miyazawa and pianist Liam Wooding launched the Cygnus Arioso 2026 season with a captivating concert at the University of Western Australia's Callaway Auditorium on Sunday. The event featured a rich program of classical works by Mozart, Lutoslawski, and Franck, setting a high standard for the upcoming chamber music series.
Mozart's Violin Sonata Opens the Evening
The performance began with Mozart's Violin Sonata in B-flat major, where Miyazawa and Wooding demonstrated exceptional synergy. The Largo introduction offered a quiet, reflective dialogue between violin and piano, reminiscent of a whispered conversation beside a dance floor. This seamlessly transitioned into the sparkling Allegro second movement, showcasing their dynamic interplay.
In the program notes, Miyazawa described music as her "home," and her performance radiated this sense of belonging. She soared with sonorous tones above Wooding's deft keyboard artistry, while the Andante third stanza drew more expressive nuances from the violin. The Allegretto finale brought Mozart's operatic voice to life, delivered with precision and passion by the duo.
Lutoslawski's Partita: A Cold War-Era Soundscape
Witold Lutoslawski's Partita for Violin and Piano introduced a starkly different atmosphere, evoking the discordant and disruptive sounds of the Cold War era. The Ad libitum opening featured jagged figures and dense chords, with Miyazawa's puckered brow and Wooding's stoical poise reflecting the piece's tortured narrative.
The Allegro giusto second movement burst forth with passionate intensity, as restive piano and febrile fiddle converged into a creative voice. Plangent chords contrasted with high harmonics in the Largo, leading to a brief soliloquy from Miyazawa that cooled the mood. The Presto fourth movement erupted with beehive-like energy and reckless pace, culminating in a cacophonous conclusion in the Ad libitum finale.
Franck's Violin Sonata: A Romantic Interlude
After the interval, the mood shifted with Cesar Franck's Violin Sonata in A major, transporting the audience to Paris during the Belle Epoque. Delicate chords and a gently swooning melody opened this ode to love, originally written as a wedding gift, restoring hope and comfort to the program.
The Allegro second movement featured restlessly rolling piano that led into a surging, searching violin melody. Meditative moments provided relief from the melodrama, building to heroic violin strains over rumbling piano and a climactic finish. Miyazawa's pensive Recitativo-Fantasia interlude evoked peaceful, pastoral scenes, before the Allegretto poco mosso finale brought a sense of completion with grandiose repetitions of the memorable theme.
Encore and Upcoming Events
As an encore, Erich Korngold's Ohne Dich (Without You) answered Franck's romantic appeal with lavish, generous tones, promising an exciting season ahead. The Cygnus Arioso Sunday Classics series will continue at The Heritage Collective in Cottesloe over the next four months, with highlights including:
- Jeremy Garside's Solo Cello recital on March 22.
- Southern Constellations on April 12, featuring Miyazawa with violinists Siobhan Makinson, Anika Collins, and Gretel Smith.
- Chromatic Currents on May 31, focusing on Beethoven's String Quartet Opus 18, No.6.
- On Wings of Song on June 28, with soprano Sara Macliver and pianist Liam Wooding.
The season will culminate in a Winter Gala at Callaway Auditorium on July 12, featuring Strauss's Metamorphosen and Schubert's String Quintet. For more details, visit the official Cygnus Arioso website.
