Tim Cuffman, violinist

Just now, I did a Yahoo search on Tim Cuffman, and found almost nothing. In a few years, that will change.

He played a violin recital at our church this evening, and he may become one of the great musicians of our time.

Tim is a graduate student in violin at the University of Iowa, a student of Scott Conklin. His program tonight consisted of two pieces:

- Partita No. 2, in D minor (BWV 1004) - J. S. Bach
- Sonata No. 1, in G major (Op. 78) - J. Brahms

The Brahms was elegant and full of dignity, especially the beautiful and gentle ending of the final movement. But it was the Bach that amazed me.

This is the Partita that includes the famous Chaconne, a staple of the literature. It is the violinist's equivalent of the organ Passacaglia that I played at last month's Evensong. I have played a lot of Bach, and heard a lot of Bach performances. I do not think that I have ever heard one to equal tonight's -- not just on violin, but by any instrument, any ensemble. Cuffman played with a firm and individual grasp of this mighty work, in places very unlike the interpretations one commonly hears -- not simply different from the way others play it, but better, with more clarity of line, of formal structure. It was clear at every moment just how each phrase, each note, fit into the overall structure. This sort of playing is hard enough at the organ, as I well know. It is even harder in the solo violin and violoncello works, where all the counterpoint must be carried by the one instrument.

I could say more; his intonation was splendid, even in some of the passages that are notoriously challenging to play in tune. His tone was rich and warm, filling the room. His demeanor as a performer was terrific -- no microphones, no recording, no histrionics, no showmanship, no talking between pieces. Just a young man coming out with his violin, standing before the audience, and playing with intensity.

At the end of the Chaconne, I made a fool of myself, shouting "Bravo!!!!" like it was the greatest performance I had ever heard -- and, as I write this several hours later, I think that it was. Often at the student recitals, I chafe at the long intermissions -- tonight, I needed it. I had to go outside for a few minutes to breathe the night air.

I must say that Cuffman is not yet a finished musician. He is early in his doctoral studies, and will learn much in the coming years. I wished that the Brahms had been more passionate in places. It had the intellectual clarity of the Bach, which is indeed a critical element in Brahms, but Cuffman needs to continue his work with Brahms, and probably the other Romantics. I would love to hear him play some Beethoven; I think he would be outstanding in this repertoire. And if I were his teacher, I would turn him loose with composers like Paganini and Kreisler, to develop other sides of his musical personality. Maybe he does these things already; I would love to find out.

But even if he were to become a Bach specialist and never play anything else, he would be an artist of the first rank. I simply think that with time, and with the further growth as a musician that I am certain he will attain, he will play the major works of the repertoire, of all styles, with the intelligence and passion that we heard tonight in the Bach.