We asked violinist Nurit Bar-Josef, concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra, a few questions about her upcoming program with Chiarina on December 12, where she’ll perform music by Jessie Montgomery, William Grant Still, and Prokofiev. Read on!

1. You perform music from many different styles and eras. What is it about playing a piece by a living composer — here, Jessie Montgomery — that is especially exciting?

I love the challenge of learning new pieces, especially by living composers who are still providing us with more repertoire.  There’s something intriguing about knowing the composer is alive during the same era as me, experiencing the world at the same time.  On one hand, my hope is that if the composer (in this case, Jessie) catches a glimpse of my performance, it will be satisfying for him/her to hear my rendition of their composition.  And on the other hand I love the fact that for some folks in the audience, it will be a completely new piece for them, having never heard it before.  

2. Jessie is a violinist herself. I take it you can sense that, in the way she composes for violin? 

Jessie is not only a violinist, she’s a fantastic one! There’s a recording of her playing this Rhapsody No. 1 which is truly terrific. She most certainly knows what works and what doesn’t on the instrument, which makes it that much more satisfying to play this piece.  I would say there’s a little bit of Eugene Ysaye (who wrote 6 famous sonatas for solo violin) in her writing.  The way she’s able to incorporate technical passages with different colors and moods is quite special.

3. Violinists have a wealth of sonatas to choose from! Sergei Prokofiev’s F minor sonata was begun in 1938 and completed in 1946. Prokofiev told David Oistrakh, who premiered it, that the end of the opening movement should sound like “wind in a graveyard.” What stands out about this sonata in the violin-piano repertory? What is it like to play a piece that is so…dark and haunting?

I’ve always been drawn to this particular Prokofiev sonata.  In general, I love all of his music, whether it be his symphonies, concerti, chamber music, etc.  The F minor sonata just captures so many emotions and “colors”.  From lengthy muted pianissimo passages that sound as though they’re from another world, to digging-in wildly with fortissimo, almost brutal type passages, there’s both a sense of darkness and beauty combined.  I find it really technically and musically satisfying to explore these extremes.

4. William Grant Still’s Suite for Violin and Piano was inspired by sculptures — sculptures by artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance. What’s most striking about this piece, from your player’s perspective?

The William Grant Still Suite has both innocence and playfulness to it, which I find endearing.  I especially love the middle movement, “Mother and Child”, as I can really visualize a mother holding her child, perhaps singing a lullaby.  There’s an incredible simplicity and beauty to this movement.  I’ve played it in its string orchestra version with the NSO and find the violin/piano rendition to be just as exquisite and heartwarming.  

5. You’re very often performing on a big stage alongside a full orchestra. What draws you to chamber music, like Chiarina’s series, and to smaller spaces?

While I love my work with the NSO and find being part of a major orchestra so immensely rewarding, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with being able to break away from all of that and concentrating on some chamber music.  With Chiarina and various other festivals I’ve had the honor to participate in, I enjoy being able to work in smaller groups, where we’re able to take time to really explore different ideas…without a conductor. What I especially love about my time with Chiarina is the programming and the fact that it’s always a fun collaboration, and a bit therapeutic for me as a break from my daily life at the NSO. Opportunities such as this one provide me with the “best of both worlds”!