A MUSICAL REUNION / Lim Family Musicians / Review

A MUSICAL REUNION
Lim Family Musicians
Esplanade Recital Studio
Saturday (20 August 2011)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 22 August 2011 with the title "It runs in the Lim family".

It is well known that music runs in the genes. The Bachs, Mozarts, Tcherepnins and von Trapps have their Singaporean equivalents over the years – the daughters of Goh Soon Tioe, the string-playing Chan brothers, and now the Lim cousins. In their mid-20s to early 30s, the seven Lims include the children, nephews and nieces of conductor Lim Yau.

With a harpsichordist, violinist, violist, cellist, oboist and two pianists, an intriguing number of combinations threw up a well-programmed and pleasing two-hour long concert exploring the byways and rarities of chamber repertoire.

For example, how often does one hear Beethoven’s “Eyeglass” Duet for viola and cello (below left)? The unusual title came about because its first performers wore glasses, except that the sight of bespectacled violist Lim Chun and cellist Lin Juan did not quite raise eyebrows in myopia-prevalent Singapore. Its implicit humour gave way to more serious vibes for Mahler’s early Piano Quartet in A minor (below right), when both were joined by Chun’s sister, violinist Lim Hui and pianist Lim Yan.

Thick Brahmsian chords and Wagnerian chromaticisms made for a heavy meal, considerably lightened by Jeffrey Agrell’s Blues for D.D. that followed, where Veda Lim Wei’s oboe morphed from a hazy Debussyan opening to flighty jazzy riffs, accompanied by Lim Jia’s harpsichord and Juan’s cello. The diminutive oboist was arguably the star of the evening, her bright and sonorous tone, gorgeously contoured, was hard to forget.

The sibs: Veda Lin Wei (oboe) 

and Lin Juan (cello)

The other sibs: Lim Hui (violin) 

and Lim Chun (viola)

She and brother Juan combined splendidly for Lennox Berkeley’s Petite Suite, a neo-Baroque set of dances with both lift and life. The other siblings (above) also shined, Hui in Bach’s Violin Sonata in E major, and Chun in Alan Shulman’s virtuosic Theme and Variations.

The husband and wife pairing of Yan and Koh Jia Hwei were a delight in Poulenc’s Sonata for piano four hands (above). Choreographing a scene comique of marital rivalry and bliss amidst busy crossing of hands, they drew ripples of mirth from the audience.

All seven musicians were united for the 6-Part Ricercar from J.S.Bach’s A Musical Offering(above). There was no place for period-performance authenticity or political correctness here, with both piano (both pianists contributing a hand each) and harpsichord included in the mix for an enjoyable close. As they say, a family that plays together stays together.

This concert will be repeated on Sunday 28 August at the same venue. Be sure to come.

All photos by Lim Khan, 

yet another cousin in the 

prodigious Lim family.

3 Best Classical Concerts of 2010

As published in The Straits Times on 29 December 2010, here are my picks for the 3 best classical concerts in Singapore for 2010. Indeed we were spoilt for choice, which is why I have included more than three top concerts. The true winners, however, are the lucky concert-goers who get to experience classical music as it should be performed - with unwavering commitment and passion.

Orchestral
MAHLER Resurrection Symphony
Orchestra of the Music Makers 

& Combined Choruses
10 July 2010, Esplanade Concert Hall

The Austrian composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) has been well-served in his anniversary year, with memorable performances of symphonies by the Singapore Symphony and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. Pride of place however goes to the young musicians of the Orchestra of Music Makers, joined by the Singapore and Queensland Festival Choruses, with their stupendous showing in Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony.

Conducted by Chan Tze Law, this blockbuster not only demonstrated an amazing maturity for the barely 2-year-old ensemble, but also a wealth of prodigious talent among the musicians, whose average age was 20-21 years old. The vocal soloists were locals too – mezzo-soprano Rebecca Chellappah and soprano Jeong AeRee – making this a truly Singaporean affair.

Besides being feted in the pages of The Straits Times, this concert also received high praise from music critics from Japan, Canada and UK.

Vocal / Choral
VERDI Requiem
Singapore Symphony Chorus 

& Combined Choruses
with Singapore Symphony Orchestra

17 April 2010, Esplanade Concert Hall

The Singapore Symphony Chorus marked its 30th year with one of the great masterpieces of the symphonic choral repertoire – Verdi’s Requiem with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra

These days, this venerable institution is augmented by voices from three other choirs, and the combined strength of 180-200 singers led by Lim Yau is a force to be reckoned with. The fearsome Dies Irae, delivered with awe-inspiring magnificence and with brass resonating from different parts of the hall, provided genuine spine-tingling moments that will remain long in the memory.

Honorable mention also go to The Philharmonic Chamber Chorus’ A Bridge Of Silk (18 September 2010 / Esplanade Recital Studio), an a cappella recital of contemporary Asian songs conducted by Lim Yau, and the superb artsong recital Night Songs by young tenor Melvin Tan (20 August 2010, Esplanade Recital Studio), accompanied by pianist Shane Thio, which showcased rarities by Korngold, Berg, Rachmaninov and Debussy.

Chamber Music
LIM HUI Violin Recital

  20 June 2010 

  Esplanade Recital Studio
TAKE 5 Chausson Concert

  1 September 2010 

  Esplanade Recital Studio
ZARA Schumann Fantasies

  28 November 2010 

  Esplanade Recital Studio

There was so much good chamber music on show that honours were evenly divided. Lim Hui, 2nd prize winner in the 2003 National Violin Competition, has blossomed to become a very fine virtuoso, one combining poise and purpose in her playing. Her demanding recital of Beethoven, Brahms, Pärt and Prokofiev, partnered by her cousin pianist Lim Yan, was a joy to behold.

Lim Yan and violinist Chan Yoong Han helmed their piano quintet Take 5 to give the Singapore premiere of Ernest Chausson’s Concert for violin, piano & string quartet, a monumental work of light, shade and overwrought emotions. A more passionate yet sensitive performance would be hard to find.

Zara is the international chamber group formed by former violin prodigy Tang Tee Khoon, playing on the National Arts Council’s 1750 J.B.Guadagnini violin. Their tribute to Robert Schumann and his circle was both moving and technically impeccable.

LIM HUI and LIM YAN / Violin and Piano Recital / Review

LIM HUI Violin Recital

with Lim Yan, Piano

Esplanade Recital Studio

Sunday (20 June 2010)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 22 June 2010.

What a difference seven years make. It was in 2003 when a shy and awkward teenager claimed Second Prize in the National Violin Competition where no first prize was awarded. Today, that diffidence has transformed into poise and purpose in the person of Lim Hui, a self-assured virtuoso not without a touch of glamour.

Presently based in Japan, Lim returned with a confident showing in a demanding recital programme that proffers a major artist in the making. In Beethoven’s popular Spring Sonata in F major (Op.24), she exhibited a full and even-tempered tone that served its lyrical lines well. Beethoven’s inner fire was not ignored as she was fully capable of channeling soft and sensitive into robust and resolute within a single breath, with lots of gradations in between.

Its coupling with Brahms’ Second Sonata in A major (Op.100) was a most natural one, with a similar penchant for song-like qualities while simmering over a bed of underlying disquiet. Lim and her pianist first-cousin Lim Yan, the near perfect collaborator, displayed excellent chemistry throughout in the passionate passages and soaring climaxes.

The near full-house audience was plenty enthused, and accorded the duo applause in between every movement of all the sonatas. Without trying to sound like a cold fish, it would have been far better for the fans to reserve the plaudits to the end of each work. Intrusive clapping can be a distraction to performers too.

The shorter second half showcased 20^th century music, beginning with Estonian Arvo Part’s minimalist Spiegel im Spiegel (Mirror in a Mirror). Anti-virtuosic to a fault, this contemplatively static work delighted in long-sustained notes from the violin, while the piano sent up the repeated triads of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

The oasis of calm it provided then erupted into the fireworks of Prokofiev’s Second Sonata in D major (Op.94a) where its bittersweet angular melodies melded deliciously with percussive and motoric rhythms in an unlikely juxtaposition. When a performance makes one forget about the difficulties of execution, as the two Lims ably demonstrated, it has clearly succeeded in making its mark. The encore, from John William’s Schindler’s List, was merely icing on the cake. Just brilliant.

Living With... Lim Hui & Lim Yan

LIVING WITH…
LIM HUI, Violin
LIM YAN, Piano
The Living Room, The Arts House
Monday (6 April 2009)

The 2003 edition of Singapore’s National Violin Competition, during the days before Chinese nationals swept all the prizes, yielded only one violinist in the grand finals of the Open Category. Young Singaporean Lim Hui – who performed Bruch’s Violin Concerto No.1 - was an awkward, even painfully shy but totally musical personality, one for whom an injection of confidence would have been of immense help. She was awarded the 2nd prize with a 1st prize being withheld.

Fast forward some six years, this Eastman and Indiana graduate, currently teaching at the Nanyang Academy’s School of Young Talents, is a transformed being. No longer sporting a stooped posture and now looking the best part of a glamour puss, her stage presence has also been upped several notches.

Recitals in the Living With… Series at The Arts House usually showcase light, bite-sized pieces but here was a full-length concert with three substantial sonatas. Ironically the recital began with the encore, Glazunov’s Meditation, which established her as one with a firm yet warm tone and of utmost musicianship.

Beethoven’s Sonata in D major (Op.12 No.1) then offered her the opportunity to sink her teeth into something even more passionate, displaying typically Beethovenian grit and brio. The first movement was resolutely wrought, full of vigour, which contrasted nicely with the chorale-like slow movement’s Theme and Variations. Here both violinist and pianist (her first cousin Lim Yan) offered a wide range of colours and responses. The final Rondo also bubbled vivaciously to life.

Presenting an even greater challenge was Brahms’ Sonata No.1 in G major (Op.78), which was a progression from Beethoven’s aesthete. With Romantic gestures and aspirations coming to the fore, the ante was upped considerably. Lim Hui coped well with its more extreme range of emotions, from yearning nostalgia to passionate agitation. The volume of sound was similarly ratcheted upwards and vibrato widened, but there was no hint of hardness or harshness. The undertow of turbulence in outer movements (based on two earlier Op.59 Lied by Brahms), straddling between joy and sorrow, was marvelously captured.

Debussy’s sublime little Violin Sonata was one of six projected late works that aimed to express and celebrate French ideals in music, as opposed to well-worn Germanic ones. Whatever these may be, the piece with its more elusive themes, subtler material and variegated textures could have yielded far less than the notes played. Thankfully, both Lims were up to the task demanded, bringing much insight to its many shifts in dynamics. The performance was never showy for its own sake, but revealed Lim Hui as a considerable artist who has developed and matured beyond recognition. As for Lim Yan, he is now without doubt on his way to becoming Singapore’s finest and busiest collaborative pianist.