Celebrated internationally for his silken tone and profound artistry, violin virtuoso Cho-Liang Lin joins distinguished pianist Li Jian in a recital that spans the expressive breadth of the Classical and Romantic traditions. The program opens with Beethoven's Violin Sonatas No. 1 and No. 7, tracing a compelling evolution from clarity and elegance to dramatic intensity. The second half turns to lyrical depth: Fu-Tong Wang's Song of Ali Mountain brings an intimate Eastern sensibility and heartfelt warmth, followed by Franck's Sonata in A major, a Romantic masterpiece rich in harmonic color and French lyricism. Interweaving brilliance and tenderness, the evening unfolds as a captivating journey across eras and styles.

  Program  

L. v. Beethoven: Violin Sonata for Piano and Violin No.1 in D major, Op.12, No.1

L. v. Beethoven: Violin Sonata for Piano and Violin No.7 in C minor, Op.30, No.2

Fu-Tong Wang: Song of Ali Mountain

César Franck: Violin Sonata in A Major

  Creative and Production Team  

Violin｜Cho-Liang LIN

Piano｜Jian LI

  Artists Introduction  

Violin｜CHO-LIANG LIN

Cho-Liang Lin was born in Taiwan. A neighbor's violin studies convinced this 5-year old boy to do the same. At the age twelve, he moved to Sydney to further his studies with Robert Pikler, a student of Jenő Hubay. After playing for Itzhak Perlman in a master class, the 13-year old boy decided that he must study with Mr. Perlman's teacher, Dorothy DeLay. At the age fifteen, Lin traveled alone to New York and auditioned for the Juilliard School and spent the next six years working with Ms DeLay.

A concert career was launched in 1980 with Lin's debut playing the Mendelssohn Concerto with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta . He has since performed as soloist with virtually every major orchestra in the world. His busy schedule on stage around the world continues to this day. However, his wide ranging interests have led him to diverse endeavors. At the age of 31, his alma mater, Juilliard School, invited Lin to become faculty. In 2006, he was appointed professor at Rice University. He is currently music director of La Jolla SummerFest and the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival. Ever so keen about education, he was music director of the Taiwan National Symphony music camp and youth orchestra for four years.

In his various professional capacities, Cho-Liang Lin has championed composers of our time. His efforts to commission new works have led a diverse field of composers to write for him. The list includes John Harbison, Christopher Rouse, Tan Dun, John Williams, Steven Stucky, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Bright Sheng, Paul Schoenfield, Lalo Schifrin, Joan Tower and many more. Recently, he was soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Nashville Symphony and Royal Philharmonic.

Lin performs on the 1715 Stradivari named "Titian" or a 2000 Samuel Zygmuntowicz. His many concerto, recital and chamber music recordings on Sony Classical, Decca, BIS, Delos and Ondine can be heard on Spotify or Naxos.com. His albums have won Gramophone Record Of The Year, Grammy nominations and Penguin Guide Rosettes.

Piano｜LI JIAN

Li Jian was born in Shanghai in 1965 in a musical family. He is the son of the Chinese renowned violinist Yu Lina, who is best-known for the violin concerto The Butterfly Lovers. He began his music studies at the age of six and studied with professor Hong Teng at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He continued his education at the Conservatoire Nationale de Paris, with Pierre Sancan, and The Curtis Institute of Music, with the legendary Mieczyslaw Horszowski, and studied conducting with Jorma Panula.

Li Jian gained worldwide recognition in 1981, when at the age of 16 he won the second prize in the prestigious Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud international competition in Paris. This honor brought him opportunities for playing in European countries including France, Italy, Germany and Britain. He was also the youngest musician chosen by the Chinese government to perform at the national reception honoring U.S. President Jimmy Carter on his historic visit to China. In 1989, he became the first Mainland Chinese musician to be invited to perform in Taiwan.

As a recitalist, he has performed in such prestigious music centers as Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Ambassador Auditorium in Los Angeles, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Theatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Symphony Hall in Osaka and Berlin Philharmonic Hall.He was Assistant Conductor of the New Jersey State Opera from 1998 through 2001. In 2000, he was conductor for the production of Verdi's "Aida" in the Shanghai Arena, with over 80,000 people in attendance at each performance. Li Jian has been Artistic Director and Conductor of the Hunan Symphony Orchestra since 2003; and recently he has been named Artistic Director and Conductor of the Tokyo Virtuoso. Since 2004 Li Jian has also been Artistic Director of the Musicians Emergency Fund of New York.In an interview Li Jian said: "A musician doesn't have to exhibit his own style. His nature is revealed with the music he plays. A good musician should focus on the music and the daring nature of the composer. Otherwise you'll be wrong from the beginning."