{"id":117756,"date":"2025-09-22T10:59:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T14:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=117756"},"modified":"2025-09-22T10:59:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T14:59:18","slug":"scrutiny-pianist-roman-rabinovich-and-violinist-daniel-temnik-captivate-jcc-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/09\/22\/scrutiny-pianist-roman-rabinovich-and-violinist-daniel-temnik-captivate-jcc-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | Pianist Roman Rabinovich and Violinist Daniel Temnik Captivate JCC Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L:
L: Pianist Roman Rabinovich; R: violinist Daniel Temnik (Photos courtesy of the artists)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

JCC Chamber Music Series: Roman Rabinovich, piano; Daniel Temnik, violin. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31; Debussy: Estampes; Franck: Violin Sonata. September 18, 2025, Leah Posluns Theatre in the Jewish Community Centre.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Setting the Stage<\/h3>\n

One look at the piano on the stage at the Leah Posluns Theatre in the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) last Thursday, September 18, was enough to indicate that the chamber music program was being taken quite seriously.<\/p>\n

Violinist Daniel Temnik, the artistic director of the series, had arranged for a Fazioli Grand Piano to be sent for the evening \u2014 care of Remenyi \u2014 so that Roman Rabinovich could play his music with the depth and force he required. It showed the proper respect for the acclaimed pianist, whose international career had been launched when he won the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition in 2008. Since then, he\u2019s been a soloist for such notable orchestras as the Orcheste de Chambre de Paris, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Prague Symphony and the Meininger Hofkappelle as well as performing recitals at prestigious venues like Vienna\u2019s B\u00f6sendorfer-Zyklus and London\u2019s Wigmore Hall.<\/p>\n

Rabinovitch was introduced with genuine fondness by Temnik, who recalled having dinners cooked by the pianist\u2019s mother in Israel years ago while they were plotting \u2014 or at least hoping \u2014 for their future successes abroad.<\/p>\n

Born in Uzbekistan, raised in Israel and educated at the Curtis Institute and Juilliard, Rabinovitch spends much of his life traveling.<\/p>\n

Both Temnik and Rabinovich are in Canada part of the time, with Temnik running his own violin studio among many activities in the GTA and Rabinovich being the artistic director of Calgary\u2019s ChamberFest West. It was clear that Temnik had organized the concert as an opportunity to showcase his friend to the growing audience in north Toronto.<\/p>\n

The Concert<\/h3>\n

When Rabinovich took to the stage, he evoked the first composition of the program with scholarly aplomb.<\/p>\n

Debussy\u2019s Estampes takes listeners to three exotic locations \u2014 Indonesia, Granada and Northeast France \u2014 so it\u2019s best if they\u2019re properly prepared for the journeys. Composed with the wistfulness and beauty that are Debussy\u2019s trademarks, the pieces offer poetic illusions of their inspirations. With \u201cPagodas,\u201d the gamelan music of Indonesia and the architecture of the locale is conjured while the Arabic scale and the guitars of southern Spain are celebrated in \u201cLa soiree des Grenade.\u201d For \u201cJardins dans la pluie,\u201d the feel and sound of a rainstorm is dramatically created.<\/p>\n

Properly prepared, the near capacity audience at the Posluns roundly applauded Rabinovich\u2019s efforts though they weren\u2019t his best for the evening. As soon became evident with his stirring interpretation of Beethoven\u2019s Piano Sonata no. 31, Rabinovich is superb at capturing the dynamism of an exceptional piece, but he was less successful at offering up the idealized sensibility of Debussy.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, his handling of one of Beethoven\u2019s most extraordinary piano compositions was terrific \u2014 and he was able to use the Fazioli, noted for its resonance and darker hues, to the utmost. Of the piece, the highly respected pianist and scholar Jonathan Biss has stated that \u201cit goes from the absolute depths of despair to utter euphoria\u201d, and that emotional ride was conveyed brilliantly by Rabinovich.<\/p>\n

For the third composition of the evening, Rabinovich played with his comrade Temnik in a no-holds-barred performance of Cesar Franck\u2019s extraordinary Violin Sonata.<\/p>\n

In an entertaining introduction to the piece, Rabinovich explained that the Sonata was composed as a wedding present to one of the finest violinists of the era, Eugene Ysa\u00ffe. It was first performed by Ysa\u00ffe on his wedding day with the brilliant pianist Marie-Leontine Bordes-Pene, who premiered works by Chausson, Duparc and Faur\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Rabinovich noted that the piece was technically challenging for both instruments, but that didn\u2019t deter Ysa\u00ffe from playing it for the next 40 years, making it an important addition to the chamber music repertoire. Temnik, who was playing a fine Hungarian violin, crafted by Ern\u0151 Gumin\u00e1r in 1974 in Sz\u00e9kesfeh\u00e9rv\u00e1r, combined brilliantly with Rabinovich to offer their version of one of the finest entries in the violin-piano canon.<\/p>\n

The Reception<\/h3>\n

The audience clearly loved all aspect of the performance. The casual dress of the instrumentalists \u2014 both wearing colourful shirts with no jackets \u2014 lent an intimacy to the occasion.<\/p>\n

Though it isn\u2019t completely unique to have each piece explained in advance, there are venues \u2014 Koerner Hall for one \u2014 which rarely feature it. Here, the scholarly presentation works very well.<\/p>\n

With Daniel Temnik as the main force behind the chamber music series, the JCC is in good hands. It stands every chance of becoming a staple in the GTA\u2019s classical music season.<\/p>\n

By Marc Glassman<\/a> for Ludwig-Van<\/strong><\/p>\n

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