Master of the strings
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The musician is an advocate for contemporary composers and has premiered concertos by Tan Dun, Joel Hoffman, Christopher Rouse, Elie Siegmeister, Bright Sheng, George Tsontakis and George Walker.
Lin has released several recordings on the Sony Classical label, garnering Gramophone awards and Stereo Review "Record of the Year" honors as well as two Grammy nominations.
Born in Hsin-Chu, a quiet college town 60 miles south of Taipei, his father Kuo-Chin Lin worked as a nuclear physicist. Dad played the traditional Chinese stringed instrument, the ehr-hu, and would quiz the boy on comparative recordings, supposedly to prepare him to be a music critic.
It was there that the young Lin was exposed to such master violinists as Nathan Milstein, Isaac Stern, David Oistrakh, Jascha Heifetz and Fritz Kreisler.
Lin began studying music at age 5 but soon realized that he needed to pursue his violin studies abroad. He traveled to Australia alone when he was 12, where he spent three years.
"In Australia, I was inspired by a master class given by Itzhak Perlman to pursue studies with Perlman's teacher, Dorothy DeLay," Lin said in a telephone interview from his New York City home.
In 1975, at 15, Lin arrived in New York City. After his audition at Juilliard, he was immediately enrolled in DeLay's class.
Star-Bulletin: Who is your favorite composer?
Cho-Liang Lin: I consider Prokofiev one of the great composers of the 20th century.
Q: Do you have a favorite piece?
A: I like Romeo & Juliet, Classical Symphony, Third Symphony, F minor Violin Sonata, Fifth Piano Sonata, First Violin Concerto, Scythian Suite, Second and Third Piano Concerti and Overture on a Hebrew Theme.
Q: When were you first acquainted with Prokofiev? When did you play your first Prokofiev piece?
A: I first heard a Prokofiev work when my father brought home the Isaac Stern recording of the violin concerti with the New York Philharmonic and Mitropoulos and Bernstein conducting. It was magic to me. My first Prokofiev work was when I was 17 when I played the D major Sonata.
Q: What are the specific qualities you admire in him?
A: His incredible use of harmony, the unlikely and unexpected modulations that sound so spontaneous yet natural. I find his two sides, the motor-driven and often percussive dissonance versus the sensuous and elegant lyricism, very fascinating. The violin works utilize the natural lyrical quality of the violin, while the piano works are much more driven and harsh and exuberant.
Q: Have you been influenced by anyone when it comes to Prokofiev?
A: Stern's recordings of the concerti influenced my perception of these works a lot. I can't think of a better recording. Stern plays these works with so much soul and guts ...
Q: Itzhak Perlman was an inspiration to you, particularly in your early days. Was it tough trying to find your own voice when a musical temperament like Perlman's was ringing in your ears?
A: I once confided to my then-teacher, Dorothy DeLay, that I was having difficulty shaking off the interpretation of Zino Francescatti's recording of the Saint-Saens Third Violin Concerto. I was 16 and I loved the Francescatti recording. I was copying every nuance, gesture and tempo from that recording. Ms. DeLay said no matter how hard I tried, I would never sound like Francescatti. I got a tape from my first performance of the Saint-Saens concerto and I sounded like myself, not Francescatti.
Q: Is there some special DeLay formula?
A: It's simple. Fame begets fame. With the success of Perlman, more talents came to her. But she's a great teacher with an enormous power of observation; her patience is incredible. Her formula is tailored to each student's needs. She watches you play and then breaks down the playing into smaller components so that she can address problems within each area. She also cares a great deal for each student's overall growth and well-being.
Q: Why do people call you Jimmy?
A: When I started in my early 20s, I insisted that everyone call me Cho-Liang, but Americans gravitate to what's easier, and so my schoolmates and teacher called me Jimmy. I gave up.
Q: Besides touring and teaching, what other music-related activities do you do?
A: I run an annual music festival in Taipei and the chamber music festival Summerfest La Jolla.
Q: At 18, you were invited by your European management to play the Tchaikovsky concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Riccardo Muti, but DeLay turned down the offer for you. Why?
A: She felt I wasn't ready to play under those circumstances. In the 1980s, 18 years old was considered young for a violinist, not like today. Child prodigies were not in fashion then.
Q: Now, along with being a musician, performer, teacher and music festival organizer, you're also a dad?
A: Our daughter Lara was born in January 2001. Yo-Yo (Ma) told me many years ago that once you have kids, all your priorities in life change, and he was right. Lara is a very welcome anchor in my life now.
Q: Do you have a non-musical passion?
A: I love sports. I am really a diehard fan of the New York Yankees.
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