Li-Chun Su is a Taiwanese pianist based in Berlin and last week she was in the UK for a series of concerts, supported by Kumi Smith-Gordon, creator of the imaginative Soirées at Breinton. I was fortunate to hear Li-Chun at the OSO arts centre in Barnes, and with an audience of just eight people arranged around the piano, the experience was intimate and intense.
J S Bach’s Goldberg Variations are considered to be amongst the finest music for the keyboard. Originating from a simple idea – a beautiful aria over a ground (repeating) bass – the thirty variations present the history of Baroque music in microcosm: lavish displays of modern, fashionable expressive elements of the high Baroque, with just a hint of Classical idealism, together with magnificent structure and formal beauty. There are dances and canons, riddles and doodles, lightning flashes and filigree arabesques. Not until Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations was a similar work conceived on such a scale. Li-Chun’s performance was vibrant, colourful and absorbing, showing a deep understanding of the structure, voicing and contrasting and varied material contained within the movements. The opening Aria was played with a spare elegance while the livelier variations were bright, poised and nimble. The slower variations were almost romantic with warm legato and sensitive dynamic shading. Li-Chun revealed herself to be a sympathetic and intuitive Bach player, and it was clear from her performance that she feels great affection for this music.
During the interval the audience were invited to vote for the pieces we wanted to hear in the second half. The choices included Schumann’s ‘Carnaval’, Debussy’s ‘Clair de Lune’ and a handful of Chopin’s Nocturnes. In the event, Li-Chun played a triptych of works by Handel, including the variations known as The Harmonious Blacksmith, Mendelssohn’s ‘Variations Serieuses’, which tied in nicely with the Goldbergs, and Debussy’s ‘Claire de Lune’ and ‘Feux d’artifice’. Here she proved the breadth of her technique and musicality, a sensitive yet muscular pianist who is equally at home in Baroque repertoire as the late nineteenth-century. In ‘Claire de Lune’, for example, she revealed some interesting bass highlights, which are not always made apparent by pianists who prefer to focus on the melody in the treble. Her playing had a lovely lucidity which brought a special clarity to Debussy’s writing, something that it not easy to do.
Definitely ‘one to watch’, I very much look forward to hearing Li-Chun again when she next visits London.
Li-Chun Su kindly completed my Meet the Artist interview:
Who or what inspired you to take up the piano and pursue a career in music?
The piano chose me. We had a piano at home. I love the piano and playing beautiful music so much. It happened without making a clear decision.
Who or what were the most important influences on your musical life and career?
My teacher Gabor Paska, living in Berlin and supportive friends.
What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?
Four Liszt Concertos in one concert and Bach’s well-Tempered-Clavier Book I in one concert.
Which performances/recordings are you most proud of?
The live concert recording of 2009 at the musical instruments museum in Berlin. I played Bach’s Well-Tempered-Clavier Book I for the first time without an intermission and almost achieved perfection in day.
Which particular works do you think you perform best?
Difficult to say. Time by time it changes.
How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?
I have usually instinct to sniff out what I want and need to play.
Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?
A lot of places. It is like making friends. I feel comfortable with some people, and some less.
Favourite pieces to perform? Listen to?
One nocturne by Chopin. I always play it after a good concert evening as an encore.
What is your most memorable concert experience?
I remember well almost every concert
What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?
A love for the music.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A calm and confident feeling.
What is your most treasured possession?
My passion for life.
What do you enjoy doing most?
The process of making a thing come true.
What is your present state of mind?
Secret…..
A native of Taiwan, Li-Chun Su received her musical training in Taipei and Berlin. She graduated from the Berlin University of Arts with the Konzertexsamen, the highest degree in graduate courses. She has studied with Tsia-Hsiuai Tsai, Laszlo Simon, Martin Hughes, Gabor Paska and Mitzi Meyerson.
Li-Chun Su took first prize in the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Competition and in the Artur Schnabel Competition in 2007. In 2008 she was awarded the first prize in the Porto International Piano Competition in Portugal. She has had numerous invitations to perform across Asia, Europe and South America.
The Cross-Eyed Pianist 