Poetry in Resonance With Music: Midori

“I have shut my balcony / because I do not want to hear the weeping,” begins the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca in “Casida of the Lament.” And yet, “the weeping is an immense violin,” the poem later continues. “The tears muzzle the wind, / nothing else is heard but the weeping.”

This work, written shortly before Lorca’s execution in 1936 by fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War, is the emotional cornerstone of Midori’s upcoming recital program. The world-renowned violinist is touring the country in early March to perform works themed around suffering and loss, together with pianist Özgür Aydin.

The music of Johannes Brahms, Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc, and Robert Schumann will fill Finney Chapel on March 5 at 7:30 p.m., when Midori kicks off her latest recital tour as part of the Oberlin Artist Recital Series.

“ This is a partnership that has lasted for quite a long time now,” the violinist says of her collaborations with pianist Aydin, who she has performed with for decades. “I’ve enjoyed being able to work with him on various repertoire—I am often very inspired in the process.”

Like Midori, the composer Frances Poulenc was also inspired by the poetry of Federico García Lorca, writing his Sonata for Violin and Piano in Lorca’s memory. This acknowledgement of the poet was an act of political resistance for Poulenc, who wrote the score in Nazi-occupied France between 1942 and 1943. The second movement, “Intermezzo,” is based on the first line of Lorca’s poem “The Six Strings,” which reads: “The guitar makes dreams weep.”

While Poulenc’s Sonata is the program’s most modern composition, the oldest is Robert Schumann’s Fünf Stücke im Volkston (“Five Pieces in Folk Style”). Composed in 1849, this collection of short works draws on folk music traditions from the German composer’s home country. Although Schumann originally wrote it for cello and piano, he also made a version that swaps the cello for violin—preceding his first violin sonata, which he wrote two years later.

Schumann was a key mentor figure to Johannes Brahms, and as a music critic, he publicly praised the younger German’s work. Schumann’s vast output of chamber music inspired Brahms to create some of his own, including three violin sonatas. Midori will be playing the first—the Violin Sonata No. 1 in G—which the composer wrote between 1878 and 1879. When Brahms published the score to this three-movement work, he described it as a “Sonata for Piano and Violin,” a nod to the equal musical partnership between both instruments.

Rounding out the program are two works by Maurice Ravel, whose upcoming 150th birthday will be celebrated on March 7. Like his countryman Poulenc, who was 24 years his junior, Ravel was a freewheeling musical personality with a penchant for breaking the rules. He also wrote plenty of music influenced by folk melodies, like the chant-like “Kaddish” from Deux mélodies hébraïques (“Two Hebrew Songs”)—a surprisingly spiritual outing from a man who often distanced himself from religion. His famous violin showpiece Tzigane, on the other hand, draws from the style of a Hungarian rhapsody.

Midori says she looks forward to performing the expansive program in Oberlin and beyond, as well as continuing her collaboration with Özgür Aydin. “ It's always interesting when we’re able to really discuss musical ideas, and spend the time to really work together in shaping an interpretation for a performance,” she says.

But her two part-residency in Oberlin is not just about performing—it also highlights the violinist’s commitment to education. The founder of multiple non-profits around the world, including Midori & Friends in New York City and MUSIC SHARING in Japan, the violinist is a dedicated humanitarian and pedagogue.

Leading up to her Artist Recital Series appearance, she visited campus from February 19 to 21 to give masterclasses in violin performance and chamber music, as well as a career talk at the Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse. Her goal was to reach all of the young violinists in the Conservatory—close to 50 in total.

“ I really enjoyed having the opportunity to work with the Oberlin students,” she says. “The students are all so committed to their repertoire and their technique.  I feel like I received very good, positive energy in terms of feedback.”


Concert details
Midori, violin, with Özgür Aydin, piano

7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Oberlin College Finney Chapel
90 N. Professor St.
Oberlin, OH 44074

Tickets:
$35 Public | $30 OC Staff/Faculty/Alumni, Seniors, Military | $10 Students

Concert tickets are available online and by phone at 800-371-0178. Patrons may also purchase them in person between noon and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at Oberlin College's Central Ticket Service, located at 67 N. Main Street, in the lobby of the Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Complex.

Free Artist Recital Series tickets for enrolled Oberlin College and Conservatory students are available through the Claim Your Seat program, made possible through the generosity of Richard ’62 and Linda ’62 Clark.   

Learn more about the Arts at Oberlin.

This program is proudly supported by Ideastream Public Media, official media partner of the Artist Recital Series.