The ten young performers at the Open Recital.
Classical Music Asia (CMA) held its first Open Recital last Sunday with a packed house. Pipers Café filled up quickly that afternoon as people streamed in to listen to 10 young classical music students perform pieces that ranged from the romantic to the heroic.
Open Recital is a community project aimed at providing classical music students with the opportunity to gain experience and build confidence in their playing skills by performing in front of a live audience.
“I think this first round of CMA’s benevolent attempt has been very successful,” said Hiroshi Matsuura, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan to Malaysia, one of the 60-odd people at the event.
Two young cellists opened the programme. Joshua Sim started off with Saint-Saens’ The Swan, followed by Lee Pu Yen who performed WH Squire’s Tarantella Op. 23.
Next up was Catherine Khaw, who gave her two violin Grade 8 examination pieces—JS Bach’s Allegro assai: from concerto in E, BWV 1042 (3rd movt) and Schumann’s Rasch und mit Feuer: No. 3 from Fantasiestücke, Op. 73—a test run.
Lee Jin Yen followed on the violin with the 1st movement of Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 8 in G Op.30, after which Tan Jian Hao took the stage with Liszt’s Liebestraum No. 3 on the piano.
Lee Jin Yen plays Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 8 in G Op.30.
The next item was another Saint-Saens piece, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28, played by Antony Goon on the violin.
Timothy Low Kheng Hoe, who will be leaving Kuala Lumpur soon to study at the Royal College of Music, then played Chopin’s Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39, a piece with which he recently won the first prize in the senior category of the 2013 Euroasia Youth Music Competition.
This was followed by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst’s The Last Rose of Summer played on the violin by Liu Yi Retallick, who is currently studying at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore.
Finally, the Eroica Piano Trio, consisting of Samantha Khoo Wei Ning on piano, Tam Sah Li on violin and Joshua Sim on cello, wrapped up the 90-minute recital with the 1st and 2nd movements of Beethoven’s Piano Trio No. 7 in B flat major, Op. 97 (Archduke).
“Two things stood out for me. The first is that musicians inspire other musicians, which makes their music even better. Secondly, there are points for appreciating the music at every stage of a player’s development,” said Matsuura.
“It was magnificent that Classical Music Asia had the clout to assemble these talented youth, considering that the performers came from different music schools and teachers. I hope that the Open Recital series will continue in order to give young classical musicians in KL regular opportunities to inspire each other,” he added.
Here is the full list of performers:
1) Joshua Sim, cello
Samantha Khoo Wei Ning, piano
Camille Saint-Saëns: The Swan (the swan)
2) Lee Pu Yen, cello
Lee Jia Jie, piano
William Henry Squire : Tarantella Op.23
3) Catherine Khaw, violin
Kenneth Teh, piano
Johann Sebastian Bach : Allegro assai: from concerto in E, BWV 1042 (3rd movt)
Robert Schumann: quickly and with fire: No. 3 from fantasiestücke op. 73
4) Lee Jin Yen, violin
Lee Jia Jie, piano
Ludwig van Beethoven : Violin sonata No. 8 in G, op.30 (1st movt)
5) Tan Jian Hao, piano
Franz Liszt: Liebestraum no. 3
6) Antony Goon, violin
Misa Yamamoto, piano
Camille Saint-Saëns : Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, op. 28
7) Timothy Low Kheng Hoe, piano
Frédéric Chopin : Scherzo No.3 in C sharp minor, Op.39
8) Liu Yi Retallick, violin
Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst : The Last Rose of Summer
9) Eroica Piano Trio
Samantha Khoo Wei Ning, piano
Tam Sah Li, violin
Joshua Sim, cello
Ludwig van Beethoven : Piano trio no.7 in B flat major, op.97 “Archduke” (1st & 2nd movts)
How can my children participate in this recital?