After having the chance of hearing the Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma as soloist in a superb account of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, it was a rare treat to attend a recital (presented by Recitals Australia) at Ukaria with its magnificent acoustics. So intimate and warm was the experience of both the venue and the playing that it felt at times as if the audience was within the body of her Stradivarius itself. Lamsma possesses a seemingly limitless palette of tonal colours which were used throughout the programme, and a flawless technique with which to support and stake her claim. Here was a true masterclass in the finest contrapuntal masterworks composed for the solo instrument with all three composers – Bach, Ysaÿe and Hindemith – writing with the most virtuosic tools available to them at the time.

Simone Lamsma. Photo © Otto van den Toorn

Lamsma chose to open and close the recital with two sonatas from Eugene Ysaÿe’s masterly yet under-heard brace of works making up his Opus 27. All six sonatas in this set use solo Bach as their bouncing-off point and are dedicated to famous fellow violinists of the...