Adelaide Festival. Ukaria. 14 Mar 2026
Sergej Krylov and Konstantin Shamray are both musical forces of nature. Russian-born and now based in Switzerland, Krylov is touring Australia for the first time, while the Russian-born, Melbourne-based Shamray is already well known to Australian audiences—particularly in Adelaide, where he lived for several years. Their partnership in this recital feels both fresh and natural, and one hopes it will not be their last collaboration.
Krylov was born into a family of musicians, his father a respected violin maker. It is therefore fitting that for this tour he performs on the celebrated 1710 “Camposelice” Stradivarius, generously loaned by the Sasakawa Music Foundation. Of course, a great instrument alone does not guarantee great music-making, but in Krylov’s hands the violin speaks with extraordinary clarity, warmth and brilliance.
Performing to a full house at the beautiful Ukaria Cultural Centre, the duo delivers a program that serves as a showcase for virtuosity. The works included Violin Sonata No. 2, M.77 ,and Tzigane, both by Ravel, the ever-popular Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28 by Camille Saint-Saëns, and the beloved Violin Sonata in A major, FWV 8 by César Franck. These are works audiences relish for their technical fireworks, contrasting emotional landscapes and the distinctive interplay between violin and piano. The Ravel and Saint-Saëns delight with stylistic flair and sonic brilliance, while Franck’s sonata offers romantic breadth and melodic richness.
The Ravel sonata’s celebrated “blues” movement is particularly striking. Krylov handles the jazz-inflected language with finesse: blues notes, slides and syncopations are delivered with effortless style, while Shamray provides muscular and rhythmically precise support. In the perpetuum mobile final movement, Shamray’s crisp articulation and technical command propels the music forward, and together the duo capture both the wit and mischief evident in Ravel’s writing.
Ravel’s Tzigane is gypsy-influenced fun in the Hungarian czardas style! It begins with an extended solo violin introduction which sees Krylov holding the audience in the palm of his hand while playing with dazzling control and colour. Meanwhile, Shamray occasionally glances at Krylov over his right shoulder and gives an unspoken acknowledgment of Krylov’s extraordinary command. When Shamray enters, the two begin a complex and a precise dialogue. Throughout, they are animated and in perfect synchronisation, even though the piece has an improvisatory feel.
The fireworks continue in Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28, where Krylov displays formidable virtuosity: rapid scalar passages, soaring arpeggios and intricate bowing executed with thrilling precision. As the music shifts from a reflective folk-song style opening to spirited Spanish-inflected dance tunes and rhythms, both performers visibly lean into the musical drama. Krylov’s bow seems to dance above the strings, and his physical energy matches the music’s brilliance, while Shamray draws rich, resonant sound from the Steinway that fills Ukaria’s superb acoustic with bold and glowing tone.
The recital concludes with Franck’s expansive Violin Sonata in A major, FWV 8, a work whose recurring themes and cyclical structure create a powerful sense of unity. The sonata’s melodies have a way of lingering in the ear, and more than a few audience members left the hall quietly humming its opening motif. Here the dialogue between violin and piano becomes particularly intimate, and Krylov and Shamray reveal the full potential of their partnership. Their playing balances virtuosity with sensitivity, each responding instinctively to the other’s phrasing and colour.
As a duo Krylov and Shamray prove both impressive and intriguing. It is a meeting of two formidable musical personalities that one hopes will lead to many further collaborations.
Kym Clayton
When: 14 Mar
Where: Ukaria
Bookings: Closed
