Silver medalist from 2018 focuses on Ysaye and Paganini for International Violin Competition of Indianapolis

Distinguishing herself as a teenager in the 2018 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Risa Hokamura came back to the scene of that triumph Tuesday evening for a recital titled "Quintessential Paganini and Ysaye." 

Risa Hokamura opened IVCI's Laureate Series.

The Japanese violinist's performances of several pieces each by those two titans captured that quintessence. The program's bookends were a Fritz Kreisler arrangement of Paganini's "La campanella" and, to start with, Paganini's rare foray into composing for violin with piano accompaniment, "Cantabile." Otherwise, Hokamura's playing was boldly exposed unaccompanied by Melivia Raharjo, an IVCI Official Pianist.

Now the 2018 Silver Medalist is a bachelor's-degree candidate at the Manhattan School of Music, but she is already well-established beyond the academic world. Appearing onstage at the Indiana History Center in a spectacular, glittering red dress, Hokamura burnished her reputation especially in the Eugene Ysaye selections — three sonatas from the half-dozen that make up his Op. 27 for solo violin. These have been repertoire staples of the IVCI ever since Josef Gingold, who had been Ysaye's student, founded the competition in 1982.

Nos. 1, 3, and 5 were well-chosen for the variety of demands and rewards each offers. The recitalist's sturdy rhythm and balanced phrasing were well  displayed in the Fugato second movement of No. 1 in G minor. Her zest for enunciating details without impairing the flow shone in the third movement, and in the finale (Con brio) especially admirable was her balanced, expressive tone in all registers.

The standout came just after intermission with No. 3 in D minor, "Ballade." Here the linkage of the three contrasting sections was impeccable. The passionate expressiveness of the piece stayed at the forefront, but always with judicious command of the bravura writing. It's hard to recall a cleaner, better illuminated account of this sonata from its frequent presence in the Indianapolis competition over the years.

Touches of the natural world imbued her performance of No. 5 in G major. The colors of dawn were naturally highlighted in "L'Aurore," which yields to the shifting profile of "Danse rustique." The piece is loaded with trills, double stops and left-hand pizzicati, all of which had the right illusion of effortlessness. There was no skimping on technical finesse for the sake of color alone.

Besides the deft interpretations of Cantabile and La campanella in partnership with Raharjo, representations of Paganini were Nos. 2, 10, and 11 of his solo Caprices, op. 1. These are also encountered in past competitions here, although the B minor  (No. 2) and G minor (no. 10) are less often heard than no. 11in C, which has memorable melodic interest in both its Andante and Presto sections. Before the tender return of the Andante, Hokamura's Presto seemed tense and inordinately feverish; it amounted to the only dip in the overall excellence of her recital.

For an encore, the performers turned once again to Kreisler, playing handsomely a recent competition favorite among 2018 and 2022 participants, the gypsy evocation titled "La Gitana."