Tuesday 30 May 2000 Victoria Concert Hall	Virtuoso Violinists Series/Beethoven Symphony Cycle
	Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphony No.6 in F major, op.68 "Pastoral" Pyotr Il'lyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1875-1937) Violin Concerto in D major, op.35 Jimmy LIN Cho-Liang violin SHUI Lan conductor

OVERALL NOISE RATING:4 (Quite noisy in between movements of Pastoral, but then again... one can't really blame them... [You mean the CFCs* right? - Ed.])

*CFC = Came For Concerto.

The Noise Rating Index is a partially-objective measurement of pager and handphone blasts, 9pm and 10pm watch beeps, coughing-during-the-pianissimo-bits, intra-audience conversation and other mind-bogglingly inept noises emitted in the concert hall during actual performance of music. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 5, in increasing annoyance.

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Beethoven's Sixth Symphony - two well-loved works which promised a most enjoyable evening. Unfortunately it did not really turn out as well as it should for me, with regard to the Pastoral. The sequence of pieces was altered, and the SSO started out with the symphony instead. I heard that the change of program was to allow Mr Lin more time to prepare as well as rest from his hectic schedule.

The concert got off on a positive note with the usual velvety colour from the strings. The melodic lines were well-crafted and phrased almost in a classical style, and this turned out to be the focus of the entire symphony. There was good balance and control from the orchestra, but the music never really took off.

The Pastoral after all was written in the frame of mind to portray and convey the composer's relationship with Nature. It would then surely be a logical path to follow his clear and precise intentions; the description of how he would have wanted the movements to sound were explicitly stated. Granted, Beethovan admitted that it is "more the expression of feeling than tone-painting", however surely a overtly-intellectual approach would be out of place.

Shui Lan preferred to concentrate on the sublime nuances and delicate structuring of the harmonic lines. Indeed meticulously neat and tidy playing ruled the day, but I felt that it was unnecessarily too controlled, too artificial perhaps. Instead of the pleasant and cheerful countryside, what I almost saw from the music was, forgive me for my bluntness, the artificial turf of the Tellitubbies land. The natural brightness was never allowed to fully breathe through, what a pity.

The second movement was painfully slow for me. The composer himself marked "Andante molto moto", not "Adagio". After all it was meant to depict a running brook, and not a stagnant pool. Admittedly, there were glimpses of subtle beauty, but I felt it was otherwise a boring and self-indulgent account. In short, this Pastoral was one where I did not enjoy. Though I have little qualms about the musicality of the performance, I cannot accept the interpretation which I felt betrays the spirit and intentions of the work. A more straight forward and quicker approach would have breathed a whole new life into the symphony.

Fortunately the second half of the concert more than made up for the lacklustre performance of the former. The Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto is one of my personal favourites. I simply cannot understand how some can not fall in love hopelessly with something so melodious, beautiful and passionate.

Lin Cho-Liang and his Guarnerius are truly meant for each other. Their personalities click so well, both warm and passionate, at the same time honest and approachable. It's a lesser known fact that Guadneri are generally more costly than Stradivari as there are just fewer of them around.

Mr Lin gave a most emotional and moving account of a most worthy work. The key to playing Tchaikovsky, to me, is to never be too self-indulgent in the luxurious melodies. However on the other hand, how can one be not moved by the sheer beauty and power of his music? Mr Lin's main strength is to strike a fine balance that produced a most satisfying experience, being into the music itself yet never neglecting the linear progression of the structural lines.

His sparingly wise use of portamento and wide range of vibrato makes him a highly enjoyable violinist to behold. He was always sensitive and struck a good rapport with the conductor and the orchestra. The SSO responded with true Russian fervour, perhaps happy to be freed from the awful chains of the Pastoral.

I found the woodwinds too loud and obstrusive at the start of the second movement, but Mr Lin's most masterful use of the lower soulful register of his fine instrument breathed a lyrical Romantism into the music. At the end, his warm smiles and emotional playing from his heart were what made the evening special. I left feeling revitalized and inspired.

"Critics are never to be trusted." Jason Tan feels that it is true, we are after all mere humans, like everyone else, who share a special love for music and are just willing to share our humble opinions with others...

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715: 31.5.2000 ŠJason Tan

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