Toronto Summer Music:Heifetz & the “Dolphin” Strad. Vitali: Chaconne in G minor; Gluck: “Melodie” from Orfeo de Euridice; Corigliano: The Red Violin Caprices; Franck: Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano. Timothy Chooi, violin; Jon Kimura Parker, piano. Walter Hall, July 14, 2026.
A little confession to start: I am a sucker for big technique. To put it more elegantly, I have the greatest respect and admiration for classical artists who possess great technical prowess.
Such phenomenal technique was in full display on Tuesday July 14, in the performance given by violinist Timothy Chooi and pianist Jon Kimura Parker. The concert was Heifetz & the “Dolphin” Strad, a tribute to the great Jascha Heifetz, the original owner of the violin now played by Chooi.
First Half
The recital opened with Tomaso Antonio Vitali’s Chaconne in G minor, a Baroque piece often performed by Heifetz.
Chooi played it with the full spectrum of tone colours and the requisite lyricism. This was followed by the short “Melodie” from Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, often performed by Heifetz as an encore. As the title suggests, a melodically inspired three minutes that stays with you the rest of the evening.
The centrepiece of the first half was The Red Violin Caprices, composed by John Corigliano, who also composed the music for the movie The Red Violin.
An unaccompanied violin solo, the Red Violin Caprices is a star vehicle for a virtuoso to dazzle an audience. Well, Timothy Chooi certainly dazzled, and he was given thunderous applause, even in between the seven variations, unusual for the well behaved and knowledgeable Toronto audience.
Second Half
The second half consisted of a single piece, Cesar Franck’s Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano. Tegan Niziol in the program notes writes that Heifetz performed this in his last solo recital.
The Franck sonata is a perfect example of High Romanticism, a wonderful work melding melodic inspiration with passion and drama, one that lingers in the mind long afterwards.
Final Thoughts
Sitting through such gorgeous music played so beautifully was a real pleasure. I couldn’t help but notice how the program seemed to favour the violin, to showcase it, with the piano almost receding into the background.
I had a brief conversation with Jon Kimura Parker afterwards and brought this up. He basically said that first and foremost, he values the opportunity of performing with Timothy Chooi, a young, fast rising artist. That tells me Parker is a great colleague, generous by nature, and secure in his own place in the music world.
Bravo, and I look forward to future collaborations by the two.
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