Music
Violin and piano in the Adelaide Hills: Szymanowski, Prokofiev and Brahms
Sunday 11 October 2026UKARIA Cultural Centre
Violinist Richard Tognetti and pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk perform a recital of works by Szymanowski, Prokofiev and Brahms at UKARIA Cultural Centre on Sunday 11 October 2026 at 2:30pm. The program opens with Szymanowski's Mythes before moving through Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor and closing with Brahms's Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, the full recital running approximately two hours including interval.
Some pairings simply make sense. Richard Tognetti and Alexander Gavrylyuk bring their violin and piano partnership to UKARIA Cultural Centre on Sunday 11 October 2026 at 2:30pm, in a program that moves from the mythological to the deeply personal.
The recital opens with Karol Szymanowski's Mythes, Op. 30, a work that leans on unconventional violin techniques to summon three scenes from Greek mythology: the Fountain of Arethusa, Narcissus, and Pan and the Dryads. It's a piece built on atmosphere and colour as much as melody, and a striking way to open proceedings.
From there, the program moves to Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, a work that draws on the soundworld of his ballet Cinderella. It begins with a light, neoclassical charm before darker material surfaces, giving both performers room to shift registers within a single piece.
After a 25-minute interval, with complimentary afternoon tea served to concertgoers, the second half belongs to Johannes Brahms. His Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor was the composer's final work in the form, written once he'd already completed his symphonies and concertos. It's nearly orchestral in ambition across its four movements, demanding real stamina and control from both violinist and pianist, and pairing tense urgency with genuine drama. Closing the program with it feels like a deliberate choice, letting the duo build toward the most demanding material rather than starting with it.
The full recital runs around two hours including interval. UKARIA's setting, tucked in the Adelaide Hills, suits this kind of intimate, conversational chamber program well, and the venue is offering a pre-concert light lunch for $17 for those who want to make an afternoon of it, along with arranged bus transfers for those coming from the city.
Tickets are $80 for adults, $75 concession, and $40 for patrons under 40. For anyone who has followed Tognetti's work with the Australian Chamber Orchestra or Gavrylyuk's solo recitals, this is a chance to hear both musicians in a smaller, more direct setting, working through repertoire that spans a shifting range of emotional temperatures across a single afternoon.
Details are correct at the time of publishing. Events can change or be cancelled, so please confirm dates, times and prices with the venue or ticket seller before booking.