FAVOURITE CLASSICS

Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra/Albert Lin, Piano

Singapore Conference Hall

29 May, 2011

 

By Chang Tou Liang

 

(on Mozart's Piano Concerto in C Major, K. 467)

 

    The opening tutti was taken at too leisurely a pace. Sounding very raw and sluggish, this provided the guest soloist Albert Lin little to work upon. Unable to exert himself and force the pace against the will of the ensemble, the first movement was mired down in treacle. However the crystalline quality of his playing, always alert to the music’s finer points, was the saving grace of the performance.

    Thankfully, both the slow movement and Rondo finale saw the piano deliver the opening gambits. Only then did the music take shape and given the necessary lift. The graceful Andante was lightly and tastefully ornamented, while good humour and high spirits dominated the Rondo. The cadenzas were well-turned and the performance closed on a high.

    Those who know Albert to be a barnstorming virtuoso also got to see this side in his encore, the outrageous Arcadi Volodos version of Mozart’s Rondo alla Turca. Delivered with absolute bravura and panache, the concert had finally come to life.