[LJ2ME] October Fest 9 of 12: SSO Jin Li
You would be forgiven for thinking SSO first violinist Jin Li was a bit strange, sitting at the fringe of the section by himself usually, heretic by inference, hermetic by choice. However, his resume boasts impressive credentials that his colleagues would envy, among them having been under the tutelage of the late great Menuhin. So it is then that the powers-to-be create opportunities to draw him out of his inner world. Fielding him as soloist in Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole, the work's virtuosic demands more that vouched for his talent. Like in Paganini's pyrotechnic-infused concertos, this work was replete with showmanship. Capably stepping up to the plate, the fireworks on tightrope were despatched without affair. With instrument propped high, his stance was ramrod-straight as he attacked the strings with his bow, his elbow almost hooking his ear as he played the low notes at the far end of the soundboard. By the time he got to the exuberant close, he had traversed a gamut of emotions and plumbed the breadth of the instrument. The encore was Saint-Saens' The Swan where the elegiac melody was beautifully accompanied by harp arpeggios and lilting strings. And how could I have forgone a photo op at autographs?
