This is the most beautiful interpretation of the Lark I have ever witnessed. It was almost a religious experience. This girl is a jewel who feels the music in every cell of her body. God Bless her on her journey.
I share your view. The one thing I would say is that this extraordinary performance _is_ a religious experience. The 12 lines from Meredith's poem that VW inscribed on the score have at their core Christian symbolism and allegory: "For singing till his heaven fills, 'Tis love of earth that he instils, And ever winging up and up, Our valley is his golden cup And he the wine which overflows to lift us with him as he goes." Here, Meredith appropriates Christian tropes to his own mystical and/or pantheistic ends, and no doubt VW follows him. This alone shows that what has become the standard approach to the work, which is reeked in sentimentalism and nostalgia, is completely misguided. But Chloe is herself a believer, and so inevitably goes one step further than M and VW. She does not need to appropriate anything. She is able to embrace wholeheartedly the meanings that are ascribed to the lark's ascent and song within the Christian tradition. The interpretation that results in transcendent and visionary.
@@leenakamura7041 The same principle applies in the case of the sublime performance Chloe gives of "Meditation" in rehearsal with the SSO (likewise on her channel). In Massenet's opera, "Meditation" is an intermezzo that depicts Thais' vision of God. immediately before it she rejects all entreaties that she should change her ways; but Immediately after it she says she has seen the light and she pledges herself to following a path to salvation. Accordingly, Massenet's marking is "andante religioso." Yet despite this, almost all performances of the work in recital or concert avoid the sacred and substitute for it sentimentalism and/or romanticism. Indeed, to my amazement, I learnt only a few days ago that the published arrangements of the work for violin and piano omit Massenet's marking in favour of the simple "andante" or no marking at all! Happily, however, whether via research or musical intuition (or guidance), Chloe's interpretation respects Massenet's intentions. In it, Thais bathes in the glow of the divine presence and attains a state of grace. (I don't say any of this out of any religious conviction. On the contrary, I am a committed atheist. But I was brought up in the Christian tradition and I take an interest in its imagery, conceptualisations and art.)
@@123Latko Une telle beauté sera inévitablement la cible de critiques jalouses! Chloé est un trésor et sa performance est un miracle. * * * Takie piękno nieuchronnie stanie się celem zazdrosnej krytyki! Chloe to skarb, a jej występ to cud.
@@123Latko Oh, Witold, ne vous inquiètez pas pour Chloé; beaucoup de gens merveilleux s'occupent d'elle et la protègent. Elle ira bien! Ses parents, professeurs et amis assurent une progression fluide et sûre dans son développement professionnel. Je ne parle que l'anglais et le français. Mon polonais est venu de Google Translate! Bien à vous, Lilian
@@123Latko Bonjour Witold, merci pour votre message. Chloé est certes sensible, mais elle est assez mature pour son âge et sait se comporter pour décourager les mauvaises intentions. Soyons également encouragés par les merveilleux adultes autour d'elle qui s'occupent si bien d'elle: ses parents, ses professeurs et ses collègues. Elle n'est jamais seule, et a toujours préoccupé les adultes qui la surveillaient. Je pense qu'elle bénéficie de la protection qui lui est accordée, ainsi que de la liberté nécessaire pour soutenir son expression artistique. Voici une jeune fille chanceuse; et nous sommes un monde chanceux qu'elle habite! Bons vœux à vous et à votre famille, Lilian Duval aux etats-unis (j'avais des parents belges)
One reason Chloe’s performances at the Menuhin Competition 2018 are so satisfying is that in comparison to the performances of the other candidates she adopted slower tempi (her Bach in round 1 is a very good example). In the case of works that she had performed previously--Wieniawski’s Caprice and, especially, Piazzolla’s Café 1930 and Hubay’s Carmen- she not only played them slower than the other candidates, she also slowed down her tempi in comparison to her previous self. The benefit of so doing allowed for greater accuracy and subtlety of dynamics and phrasing, and so by this means greater musical depth. But slowing the tempo is a very simple adjustment. If the benefits are so great, why didn’t the other candidates do it, and why hadn’t Chloe done it before? Part of the answer, and also a key to the question as to why the performance of “The Lark Ascending” that Chloe gives us here is of such great spiritual power, is provided by Hilary Hahn’s reflections on the difficulties of this piece. In a recent interview, she says that to play it “You have to be comfortable with being expressive with a very slow bow. It goes high up on the violin and it has to be perfectly in tune, which stresses everyone out. It’s really important that your technique is refined and completely under control if you’re going to have any semblance of the freedom the piece needs. It’s like a duck: on the surface you’re just floating but underneath you’re paddling furiously.” That is, slowing down the tempo is not cost-free. The slower the tempo, the slower the bow. And beyond a certain point-as occasioned by the slower tempi and hence slow bow Chloe employed at the Menuhin Competition, and the “very slow bow” demanded by The Lark Ascending-slowing the bow is a very severe test of technique. A measure of bow speed (and tempo) is provided by the duration of the performance. When one notices that Hugh Bean (of Gramophone’s “best pick” fame) got through it in 14.42, whereas in her 2003 recording with Sir Colin Davis, she takes 16.20, one understands why Hilary was so stressed out by “very slow bow.” What then of Chloe? Just this. It is a measure of her superb technique, as well as of her superlative musicality, that her performance of this work takes 16.40.
@@ivantan3881 Chloe's Hubay Carmen at the Menuhin -- which is as close to perfection as it is safe for humans to get -- takes 10.40. But when she won Singapore's Young Talent Project in August 2016, she got through it in under 9 minutes! Of course this earlier performance is nowhere near the level of the one she gave at the Menuhin, but I like it a lot and I think it affords much insight into how she thought and continues to think about music, and of course into her remarkable musical development. www.mewatch.sg/watch/Chloe-Chua-Young-Talents-Project-2016-Highlights-5-93191 (It isn't available on YT and it isn't well known, so I think it likely you don't know it. I have given some other links to nice information about Chloe that is not on YT in replies to @wordjunki in the conversation on this thread below. I think the link to an interview in which her mother, the pianist Englee Lim (who is the accompanist on Albumblatt!), speaks of her own educational philosophy and of its application in relation to Chloe's upbringing and musical development is the most fascinating.)
@@ivantan3881 O sorry! I am glad you know it and enjoy it! (What most strikes me about it is rock solid tempo, iron will and determination, and love for what she does.)
I absolutely love Williams and to hear Chloe play one of my favorite pieces has made my day! Chloe is one of the most gracious young performers, her interactions with the first violinist and the orchestra as a whole, even from a young age, is so beautiful to watch. I love seeing the light side of her on Twoset Violin videos. She's just a fun person and so kind.
I listen to this everyday as a start to my morning and the beauty of the piece and the stunning performance by Chloe Chua and the orchestra still brings tears to my eyes, even after hundreds of listens.
I really love this interpretation. It's more delicate than many. For instance, i love Hilary Hahn, i think she is an exceptional soloist, and obviously she has 30 years of world-class solo playing on Chloe, but her Lark (like her playstyle in general) is bold and fierce and precise. It is so brilliant, but this piece to me should be more delicate, almost ephemeral, and i think CC does an amazing job of that. I suspect it's partially because of her age; a person in their youth is not unlike a bird in spirit, although I'm sure the quality of her playing will continue to improve as she gets older too.
@AirenL >> She will forever be my favorite violinist Forever! But how can you predict the future? Is it absolutely impossible that some other violinist might later capture your heart? (In this lifetime you are now living, or some other, future one.)
@@ts13579_texas_usa because besides her, I’m not interested in watching any other violinist. I have my all time favorite videos of her and kept coming back to them.
Awesome and thought provoking! One thing comes to mind: in Miss Chua's case, and other children who play their instruments so beautifully and colorfully, "youth is not wasted on the young"! Chloe and her violin are magnificent together!
Chloe that brings hope to the future of classical music and I'm so happy about that. Her playing is always so spot on and bright and light. Chloe, thank you for another amazing free performance!
Moves me almost to tears. Chloe, you are a treasure I hope we all can enjoy for decades. Your genius and priceless gift of humour, (see Two Set Violins) are a joy to behold.
Confronted with the fact that Chloe's "Cafe 1930" has had more views in 3 weeks than its Ascent has had in 8 months, the Lark said: "It is so unfair. I am just as beautiful! I feel as if I have been put in a cage to sing a song that no one hears."
It is common to feel envious of a person much younger than you, who has accomplished more in a few years than you ever will in your entire life, but I simply don't feel that way about Chloe. Her talent, skill, patience, passion and humility are simply something you admire, stupefied. I don't mean to be dramatic, but I am pretty sure she represents what humanity is supposed to be.
Chloe: I think we should begin by trying Mozart #2 and The Lark Ascending Chloe's New Guarneri : Ok. Let's see how we get on. Chloe: How do you think it went? Chloe's New Guarneri: Your wish is my command.
@@wordjunkie289 She must have been loaned the Guarneri some time between spring 2020, when she posted Albumblatt, where she didn't play it and as far as I know was still playing the Postiglione, and October 2020, when she used it in her performance of the recently posted Mozart #2. I agree that the sound of the Guarneri here and in Mozart #2 is absolutely amazing. Chloe said in her recent Chingay interview that it is valued at 1.8 million dollars. I don't know whether that is US or Singapore dollars, but either way, sounding as does when she plays it, I think that is marked underestimate and re-valuation is in order!)
Chloe is an exceptional musician and violinist; we have watched her performances for over two years now, she could become a second Midori and even better!
I think you are right to compare Chloe with Midori and to suggest that Chloe might match or even surpass her achievements. Musically, there are many points of similarity, and Midori is the only violinist who moves me as Chloe does. Hopefully, we will soon be able to make a fairly direct comparison between them! Famously, Midori performed the Chopin C sharp minor nocturne ((arr Milstein) when she was 18, as part of her incredible Carnegie Hall recital debut. th-cam.com/video/Bw0UH1UXJVg/w-d-xo.html But Chloe is going to perform it too as part of her 13 August Copenhagen Summer Festival recital, and with any luck a video of her recital will be posted on YT.
@@jackburgess8579 Thank you for the link and also for telling us about the livestream on May 18. I’m not familiar with the YT Channel. Can the competition be livestreamed through TH-cam?
@@LisaLGruman Yes, the on-going 2021 Menuhun Competition is being live streamed on its channel. The Menuhin Competition's YT channel is here. th-cam.com/users/MenuhinCompetition You can find on it videos of all of this year's performances so far, i.e those given in the first round, which has now completed. Next up are the semi finals, junior and senior, which are respectively on 15 and 16 May. They too will be streamed live there and and then immediately posted as videos. Chloe's recital on 18 May isn't part of the competition, though. It is a guest "2018 winner" recital (Christian Li is giving one on that day too). Likewise, it will be streamed live and then posted as a video. If you click the "notification" button on the channel -- the bell-shaped icon bottom right of its thumbnail and any one of its videos - you will receive prior notification of these live streams and of the new videos before they are posted. (Chloe isn't performing the Chopin/Milstein nocturne on 18 May though. Rather, she is performing it in her recital on 13 August at the Copenhagen Summer Festival. I muddled the two programs. But her program for 18 May is immense: the Ysaye solo sonata #3. Chausson's Poeme, Wagner's Albumblatt and a bit of Gershwin/Heifetz!)
@@jackburgess8579 I’m so fortunate to receive your wealth of information. I’ll make sure I get notified of all the performances by hitting the bell, thank you. Thanks for generously sharing all this with me over here in California!
Really a lovely performance by Chloe and the orchestra as well. The moment I heard her, I was reminded how much the violin part in "The Lark Ascending" resembles traditional Asian music.
The true definition of being elegant, exemplar, ethereal and empyrean! This took me on a spiritual journey and reminded me of how I have embarked on greater voyages on noetic vessels upon the cerebral sea than upon the watery deeps of real earth. Delicate, solemn, sober and exquisite.
We will hear her playing praises to the Father for eternity. He gave her talent here on earth & she thanks Him by giving Him praise in eternity like a Lark Ascending.
Hats off to Beauty and Gracefulness and Melancholy of her immeasurable profound performance She perfectly understand the musical aesthetics of Vaughan Williams Her performance will quench and moisturize the dryness of soul, and off the charts I'm only intoxicated with her inspirational and attractive performance She is a Alchemist of the soul
Probably my favourite piece of classical music, I live in England near many hills and hear sky larks very often, they remind me of my childhood when my family used to picnic in the countryside.
16 dislikes? They sure don't know what masterpiece is. I dont understand music at all But Dear Chloe, the way you play remind me of an enchanting China nature landscape and culture (?) at the beginning. Then I feel like I was playing in Wonderland with Alice. It's one complete perfect adventure through the beautiful places and going back home with heart full of heart warming feelings. Such a wonderful performance. Thank you!
I often watch this violin peace on you tube. I admire all the soloist, who perform this violin peace such as Janine Jansen, Hillary Hahn, E.T.C. Thanks to William and all the soloist. I am an 85 years old Iranian and for the first time I watched Chole Chua playing this peace and I could not help myself to weep and to cry. Recently a young lady with the name SEPIDEH RASHNO was arrested in Iran and beaten and tortured so hard, that the prison authorities had to take her to hospital because of internal bleeding. SEPIDEH RASHNO did not believe in HEJAB ( covering the hair for women ). Thank you Chloe Chua, you made me to pour out my sorrow for SEPIDEH RASHNO's suffering.
Hear how faithfully Chloe's playing and Vaughan Williams' music bring to life the poem that lent the piece its name: We want the key of his wild note Of truthful in a tuneful throat, The song seraphically free Of taint of personality, So pure that it salutes the suns The voice of one for millions, In whom the millions rejoice For giving their one spirit voice. *** George Meredith The Lark Ascending He rises and begins to round, He drops the silver chain of sound Of many links without a break, In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake, All intervolv’d and spreading wide, Like water-dimples down a tide Where ripple ripple overcurls And eddy into eddy whirls; A press of hurried notes that run So fleet they scarce are more than one, Yet changingly the trills repeat And linger ringing while they fleet, Sweet to the quick o’ the ear, and dear To her beyond the handmaid ear, Who sits beside our inner springs, Too often dry for this he brings, Which seems the very jet of earth At sight of sun, her music’s mirth, As up he wings the spiral stair, A song of light, and pierces air With fountain ardor, fountain play, To reach the shining tops of day, And drink in everything discern’d An ecstasy to music turn’d, Impell’d by what his happy bill Disperses; drinking, showering still, Unthinking save that he may give His voice the outlet, there to live Renew’d in endless notes of glee, So thirsty of his voice is he, For all to hear and all to know That he is joy, awake, aglow, The tumult of the heart to hear Through pureness filter’d crystal-clear, And know the pleasure sprinkled bright By simple singing of delight, Shrill, irreflective, unrestrain’d, Rapt, ringing, on the jet sustain’d Without a break, without a fall, Sweet-silvery, sheer lyrical, Perennial, quavering up the chord Like myriad dews of sunny sward That trembling into fulness shine, And sparkle dropping argentine; Such wooing as the ear receives From zephyr caught in choric leaves Of aspens when their chattering net Is flush’d to white with shivers wet; And such the water-spirit’s chime On mountain heights in morning’s prime, Too freshly sweet to seem excess, Too animate to need a stress; But wider over many heads The starry voice ascending spreads, Awakening, as it waxes thin, The best in us to him akin; And every face to watch him rais’d, Puts on the light of children prais’d, So rich our human pleasure ripes When sweetness on sincereness pipes, Though nought be promis’d from the seas, But only a soft-ruffling breeze Sweep glittering on a still content, Serenity in ravishment. For singing till his heaven fills, ’T is love of earth that he instils, And ever winging up and up, Our valley is his golden cup, And he the wine which overflows To lift us with him as he goes: The woods and brooks, the sheep and kine He is, the hills, the human line, The meadows green, the fallows brown, The dreams of labor in the town; He sings the sap, the quicken’d veins; The wedding song of sun and rains He is, the dance of children, thanks Of sowers, shout of primrose-banks, And eye of violets while they breathe; All these the circling song will wreathe, And you shall hear the herb and tree, The better heart of men shall see, Shall feel celestially, as long As you crave nothing save the song. Was never voice of ours could say Our inmost in the sweetest way, Like yonder voice aloft, and link All hearers in the song they drink: Our wisdom speaks from failing blood, Our passion is too full in flood, We want the key of his wild note Of truthful in a tuneful throat, The song seraphically free Of taint of personality, So pure that it salutes the suns The voice of one for millions, In whom the millions rejoice For giving their one spirit voice. Yet men have we, whom we revere, Now names, and men still housing here, Whose lives, by many a battle-dint Defaced, and grinding wheels on flint, Yield substance, though they sing not, sweet For song our highest heaven to greet: Whom heavenly singing gives us new, Enspheres them brilliant in our blue, From firmest base to farthest leap, Because their love of Earth is deep, And they are warriors in accord With life to serve and pass reward, So touching purest and so heard In the brain’s reflex of yon bird; Wherefore their soul in me, or mine, Through self-forgetfulness divine, In them, that song aloft maintains, To fill the sky and thrill the plains With showerings drawn from human stores, As he to silence nearer soars, Extends the world at wings and dome, More spacious making more our home, Till lost on his aërial rings In light, and then the fancy sings.
Chloe's performance with Ye Lin and the SSO of Bach's double concerto will be streamed on the SSO's channel in less than a month's time on 21 May. It isn't free to watch but e-tickets cost only US $6 (unless one wants to give a donation by paying more) and give access to the performance whenever and as often one likes until 4 June. I hope you, indeed all of Chloe's fans will buy one. It is time we showed our appreciation for the magnificent performances she has given us so generously for nothing. Details of how are buy a ticket--the process is very simple--are here th-cam.com/video/hoqziX47JHw/w-d-xo.html
@@ivantan3881 Yes, Bean/Boult is very fine and it was my favourite recording before Chloe's. Notice though that in one respect there is a huge difference: B/B get through it in 14.42; but Chloe takes 16.40! Hilarly Hahn has spoken about the choice of tempo in this piece, and what she says illuminates Chloe's development generally and her approach to this piece in particular. I'm going to post a comment explaining the details soon. (I have no musical training either, unless one counts a great deal of careful listening - which perhaps does count for at least a little bit (no doubt in your case too).)
@@jackburgess8579 yes the longer time that Chloe took was one of the first things I noticed, besides gliss in some areas. I enjoy reading and appreciate your thoughtful comments.
@@ivantan3881 Good spot (and thanks)! Bean's tempo is around what used to be the norm but Chloe's performance is amongst the slowest _ever_! (In my post, in addition to reflecting on the significance of Chloe's tempo in this performance I will observe that she/her mother/her teacher Yin Ke made a decision to slow down her tempi for the Menuhin Competition, and suggest that this decision was a key factor in the magnificence of her performances there.)
Hi Chloe, I am watching your movie from Iran. Thank you so much for sharing all this beauty with us ❤️ We are all proud of you. I don't know English very well and I used a translator :) (we use Farsi language)
This is the first time I'm listening to this piece and I'm so glad it's through the medium of Chloe's ethereal playing and this amazing orchestra's support. Every little musical expression feels... right. Idk the technicalities of it but the orchestra has done a commendable job in resonating with her just right. The energy's neither overwhelming, nor too damped. This is just... perfection
Charmante petite alouette avec ses trilles joyeux si bien exécutés par Chloe dont le jeu de l'archet est excellent. Enfin c'est mon point de vue... Merci donc à notre chère jeune violoniste et à l'orchestre pour ce très beau partage.
precision, accuracy, flow... breathtaking, literally am not a musician, just enjoying a great musical performance by great artists... also, reading some of the posts/comments here regarding her technique and skills is very informative... Kudos to you guys and Twoset Violin...
This is the most beautiful interpretation of the Lark I have ever witnessed. It was almost a religious experience. This girl is a jewel who feels the music in every cell of her body. God Bless her on her journey.
I share your view.
The one thing I would say is that this extraordinary performance _is_ a religious experience.
The 12 lines from Meredith's poem that VW inscribed on the score have at their core Christian symbolism and allegory:
"For singing till his heaven fills,
'Tis love of earth that he instils,
And ever winging up and up,
Our valley is his golden cup
And he the wine which overflows
to lift us with him as he goes."
Here, Meredith appropriates Christian tropes to his own mystical and/or pantheistic ends, and no doubt VW follows him.
This alone shows that what has become the standard approach to the work, which is reeked in sentimentalism and nostalgia, is completely misguided.
But Chloe is herself a believer, and so inevitably goes one step further than M and VW. She does not need to appropriate anything. She is able to embrace wholeheartedly the meanings that are ascribed to the lark's ascent and song within the Christian tradition.
The interpretation that results in transcendent and visionary.
@@jackburgess274 thank you for that insight!
@@leenakamura7041
The same principle applies in the case of the sublime performance Chloe gives of "Meditation" in rehearsal with the SSO (likewise on her channel).
In Massenet's opera, "Meditation" is an intermezzo that depicts Thais' vision of God. immediately before it she rejects all entreaties that she should change her ways; but Immediately after it she says she has seen the light and she pledges herself to following a path to salvation.
Accordingly, Massenet's marking is "andante religioso."
Yet despite this,
almost all performances of the work in recital or concert avoid the sacred and substitute for it sentimentalism and/or romanticism. Indeed, to my amazement, I learnt only a few days ago that the published arrangements of the work for violin and piano omit Massenet's marking in favour of the simple "andante" or no marking at all!
Happily, however, whether via research or musical intuition (or guidance), Chloe's interpretation respects Massenet's intentions. In it, Thais bathes in the glow of the divine presence and attains a state of grace.
(I don't say any of this out of any religious conviction. On the contrary, I am a committed atheist. But I was brought up in the Christian tradition and I take an interest in its imagery, conceptualisations and art.)
How about James Ehnes's version?
Having an ad play in the middle of this is a crime. Chloe will always be my favorite soloist 💗💗
Perhaps she deserves to earn some money.
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” (attri. Plato)
Ascend, Chloe! ❤️
@@123Latko Une telle beauté sera inévitablement la cible de critiques jalouses! Chloé est un trésor et sa performance est un miracle.
* * *
Takie piękno nieuchronnie stanie się celem zazdrosnej krytyki! Chloe to skarb, a jej występ to cud.
@@123Latko Oh, Witold, ne vous inquiètez pas pour Chloé; beaucoup de gens merveilleux s'occupent d'elle et la protègent. Elle ira bien! Ses parents, professeurs et amis assurent une progression fluide et sûre dans son développement professionnel.
Je ne parle que l'anglais et le français. Mon polonais est venu de Google Translate!
Bien à vous,
Lilian
@@123Latko Bonjour Witold, merci pour votre message. Chloé est certes sensible, mais elle est assez mature pour son âge et sait se comporter pour décourager les mauvaises intentions. Soyons également encouragés par les merveilleux adultes autour d'elle qui s'occupent si bien d'elle: ses parents, ses professeurs et ses collègues. Elle n'est jamais seule, et a toujours préoccupé les adultes qui la surveillaient. Je pense qu'elle bénéficie de la protection qui lui est accordée, ainsi que de la liberté nécessaire pour soutenir son expression artistique. Voici une jeune fille chanceuse; et nous sommes un monde chanceux qu'elle habite!
Bons vœux à vous et à votre famille,
Lilian Duval aux etats-unis (j'avais des parents belges)
One reason Chloe’s performances at the Menuhin Competition 2018 are so satisfying is that in comparison to the performances of the other candidates she adopted slower tempi (her Bach in round 1 is a very good example). In the case of works that she had performed previously--Wieniawski’s Caprice and, especially, Piazzolla’s Café 1930 and Hubay’s Carmen- she not only played them slower than the other candidates, she also slowed down her tempi in comparison to her previous self.
The benefit of so doing allowed for greater accuracy and subtlety of dynamics and phrasing, and so by this means greater musical depth.
But slowing the tempo is a very simple adjustment. If the benefits are so great, why didn’t the other candidates do it, and why hadn’t Chloe done it before?
Part of the answer, and also a key to the question as to why the performance of “The Lark Ascending” that Chloe gives us here is of such great spiritual power, is provided by Hilary Hahn’s reflections on the difficulties of this piece.
In a recent interview, she says that to play it “You have to be comfortable with being expressive with a very slow bow. It goes high up on the violin and it has to be perfectly in tune, which stresses everyone out. It’s really important that your technique is refined and completely under control if you’re going to have any semblance of the freedom the piece needs. It’s like a duck: on the surface you’re just floating but underneath you’re paddling furiously.”
That is, slowing down the tempo is not cost-free. The slower the tempo, the slower the bow. And beyond a certain point-as occasioned by the slower tempi and hence slow bow Chloe employed at the Menuhin Competition, and the “very slow bow” demanded by The Lark Ascending-slowing the bow is a very severe test of technique.
A measure of bow speed (and tempo) is provided by the duration of the performance. When one notices that Hugh Bean (of Gramophone’s “best pick” fame) got through it in 14.42, whereas in her 2003 recording with Sir Colin Davis, she takes 16.20, one understands why Hilary was so stressed out by “very slow bow.”
What then of Chloe? Just this. It is a measure of her superb technique, as well as of her superlative musicality, that her performance of this work takes 16.40.
Thanks for taking your time to explain, it definitely benefits a non-musician like me. Cheers :)
Honestly, I didn't realise the significance of it until i read your comment.
@@ivantan3881
Chloe's Hubay Carmen at the Menuhin -- which is as close to perfection as it is safe for humans to get -- takes 10.40. But when she won Singapore's Young Talent Project in August 2016, she got through it in under 9 minutes!
Of course this earlier performance is nowhere near the level of the one she gave at the Menuhin, but I like it a lot and I think it affords much insight into how she thought and continues to think about music, and of course into her remarkable musical development.
www.mewatch.sg/watch/Chloe-Chua-Young-Talents-Project-2016-Highlights-5-93191
(It isn't available on YT and it isn't well known, so I think it likely you don't know it. I have given some other links to nice information about Chloe that is not on YT in replies to @wordjunki in the conversation on this thread below. I think the link to an interview in which her mother, the pianist Englee Lim (who is the accompanist on Albumblatt!), speaks of her own educational philosophy and of its application in relation to Chloe's upbringing and musical development is the most fascinating.)
@@jackburgess8579 I have watched that recording before with great interest, most likely through one of your previous recommendations. Thanks again :)
@@ivantan3881
O sorry! I am glad you know it and enjoy it!
(What most strikes me about it is rock solid tempo, iron will and determination, and love for what she does.)
One dislike = that one guy who always coughs in every concert I listen to online.
No there is 4 :(
@@MrFirefox411 they’re jealous that they can’t play like that
@@MrFirefox411, poor apathetics, "do not take care of them but look and pass over" (cit.: Inferno - Dante Alighieri).
@@ILikeBirds To I Like Birds: You're right!
Coughing is not a sign of disrespect. Of course it would be more appreciated when doing between sections. Please do not judge without research.
An angel has come to earth and brought her violin.
I absolutely love Williams and to hear Chloe play one of my favorite pieces has made my day! Chloe is one of the most gracious young performers, her interactions with the first violinist and the orchestra as a whole, even from a young age, is so beautiful to watch. I love seeing the light side of her on Twoset Violin videos. She's just a fun person and so kind.
Beautiful
Concur. I got to 'know' her via TwoSet though I'd listened to Hilary playing this piece a while back. She is indeed gracious, unpretentious and fun!
At the end, Chloe's violin felt like birds singing. Just brillant and amazing.
I listen to this everyday as a start to my morning and the beauty of the piece and the stunning performance by Chloe Chua and the orchestra still brings tears to my eyes, even after hundreds of listens.
Dito
- I can't be the only one clapping like mad at home, thinking 'if I clap more, she might do an encore?'
I really love this interpretation. It's more delicate than many. For instance, i love Hilary Hahn, i think she is an exceptional soloist, and obviously she has 30 years of world-class solo playing on Chloe, but her Lark (like her playstyle in general) is bold and fierce and precise. It is so brilliant, but this piece to me should be more delicate, almost ephemeral, and i think CC does an amazing job of that. I suspect it's partially because of her age; a person in their youth is not unlike a bird in spirit, although I'm sure the quality of her playing will continue to improve as she gets older too.
Wow! I didn't expect Chloe to play this piece because of its fragility but she played it absolutely beautiful! Beautiful vibrato and colouring too.
Such breath-taking and transcendent beauty!
It is the greatest recorded performance of the Lark.
As usual, I’m always amazed by Chloe and her amazing violin playing. She will forever be my favorite violinist
@AirenL
>> She will forever be my favorite violinist
Forever! But how can you predict the future? Is it absolutely impossible that some other violinist might later capture your heart? (In this lifetime you are now living, or some other, future one.)
@@ts13579_texas_usa because besides her, I’m not interested in watching any other violinist. I have my all time favorite videos of her and kept coming back to them.
@@seulgixsus Thank you for explaining that. I greatly appreciate it.
@MichaelKingsfordGray You are a coward for not showing your face 😂😂😂
@MichaelKingsfordGray I like how your comment made no type of sense that youtube didn’t notify me at all until now lol
She’s simply transcended into a different world when she plays. It’s so amazingly obvious. Brava !!!
Every note from her touch is as the sweetest pearls of water from a spring discovered beyond hope in the desert of this world.
Pairs Chloe with a violin and we get the Gift of Music from Heaven!
Chloe Chua, one in a billion.
Counting the number of top violinists as of today, I believe that your math is correct.
Awesome and thought provoking! One thing comes to mind: in Miss Chua's case, and other children who play their instruments so beautifully and colorfully, "youth is not wasted on the young"! Chloe and her violin are magnificent together!
Chloe that brings hope to the future of classical music and I'm so happy about that. Her playing is always so spot on and bright and light. Chloe, thank you for another amazing free performance!
Moves me almost to tears. Chloe, you are a treasure I hope we all can enjoy for decades. Your genius and priceless gift of humour, (see Two Set Violins) are a joy to behold.
Comfort of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ music is immeasurable and off the charts
Even on crappy phone speakers this sounds amazing.
Confronted with the fact that Chloe's "Cafe 1930" has had more views in 3 weeks than its Ascent has had in 8 months, the Lark said:
"It is so unfair. I am just as beautiful! I feel as if I have been put in a cage to sing a song that no one hears."
Anyone else here cause they enjoyed waching her on two set violin?
Absolutely!
It is common to feel envious of a person much younger than you, who has accomplished more in a few years than you ever will in your entire life, but I simply don't feel that way about Chloe. Her talent, skill, patience, passion and humility are simply something you admire, stupefied. I don't mean to be dramatic, but I am pretty sure she represents what humanity is supposed to be.
12:30 - Such power and such profundity!
A mere 1.8 million dollars for that Guarneri?
Not any more!
Without fail, after hearing her performance, it makes me tear! So moving, so sincere, so beautiful!
Chloe: I think we should begin by trying Mozart #2 and The Lark Ascending
Chloe's New Guarneri : Ok. Let's see how we get on.
Chloe: How do you think it went?
Chloe's New Guarneri: Your wish is my command.
When did she get the Guarneri? It sounds amazing!
@@wordjunkie289
She must have been loaned the Guarneri some time between spring 2020, when she posted Albumblatt, where she didn't play it and as far as I know was still playing the Postiglione, and October 2020, when she used it in her performance of the recently posted Mozart #2.
I agree that the sound of the Guarneri here and in Mozart #2 is absolutely amazing.
Chloe said in her recent Chingay interview that it is valued at 1.8 million dollars. I don't know whether that is US or Singapore dollars, but either way, sounding as does when she plays it, I think that is marked underestimate and re-valuation is in order!)
Chloe is an exceptional musician and violinist; we have watched her performances for over two years now, she could become a second Midori and even better!
I think you are right to compare Chloe with Midori and to suggest that Chloe might match or even surpass her achievements. Musically, there are many points of similarity, and Midori is the only violinist who moves me as Chloe does.
Hopefully, we will soon be able to make a fairly direct comparison between them! Famously, Midori performed the Chopin C sharp minor nocturne ((arr Milstein) when she was 18, as part of her incredible Carnegie Hall recital debut.
th-cam.com/video/Bw0UH1UXJVg/w-d-xo.html
But Chloe is going to perform it too as part of her 13 August Copenhagen Summer Festival recital, and with any luck a video of her recital will be posted on YT.
@@jackburgess8579 Thank you for the link and also for telling us about the livestream on May 18. I’m not familiar with the YT Channel. Can the competition be livestreamed through TH-cam?
@@LisaLGruman
Yes, the on-going 2021 Menuhun Competition is being live streamed on its channel.
The Menuhin Competition's YT channel is here.
th-cam.com/users/MenuhinCompetition
You can find on it videos of all of this year's performances so far, i.e those given in the first round, which has now completed. Next up are the semi finals, junior and senior, which are respectively on 15 and 16 May.
They too will be streamed live there and and then immediately posted as videos.
Chloe's recital on 18 May isn't part of the competition, though. It is a guest "2018 winner" recital (Christian Li is giving one on that day too). Likewise, it will be streamed live and then posted as a video.
If you click the "notification" button on the channel -- the bell-shaped icon bottom right of its thumbnail and any one of its videos - you will receive prior notification of these live streams and of the new videos before they are posted.
(Chloe isn't performing the Chopin/Milstein nocturne on 18 May though. Rather, she is performing it in her recital on 13 August at the Copenhagen Summer Festival. I muddled the two programs. But her program for 18 May is immense: the Ysaye solo sonata #3. Chausson's Poeme, Wagner's Albumblatt and a bit of Gershwin/Heifetz!)
@@jackburgess8579 I’m so fortunate to receive your wealth of information. I’ll make sure I get notified of all the performances by hitting the bell, thank you. Thanks for generously sharing all this with me over here in California!
I've listened to this for about 20 times and I still find it fascinating ❣✨
Really a lovely performance by Chloe and the orchestra as well. The moment I heard her, I was reminded how much the violin part in "The Lark Ascending" resembles traditional Asian music.
Absolutely stunning. Her maturity to the interpretation of the music is incredible.
Chloe plays so beautifull, not just playing the right notes with the right technique, she really makes beautifull music
The true definition of being elegant, exemplar, ethereal and empyrean! This took me on a spiritual journey and reminded me of how I have embarked on greater voyages on noetic vessels upon the cerebral sea than upon the watery deeps of real earth. Delicate, solemn, sober and exquisite.
The Lark ascending by Chloe... A miracle played by a miraculous artist.
I think she is an angel sent from heaven to make us feel better in these rough times ❤
Un violino suonato da un' angelo
Mi ritrovo sempre con le lacrime agli occhi quando la vedo e la ascolto
We will hear her playing praises to the Father for eternity. He gave her talent here on earth & she thanks Him by giving Him praise in eternity like a Lark Ascending.
Hats off to Beauty and Gracefulness and Melancholy of her immeasurable profound performance
She perfectly understand the musical aesthetics of Vaughan Williams
Her performance will quench and moisturize the dryness of soul, and off the charts
I'm only intoxicated with her inspirational and attractive performance
She is a Alchemist of the soul
A performance that would have warmed the heart of Vaughan Williams greatly. Praise Jesus greatly for blessing them both with their musical gifts.
She'll be teaching this to "Two Set Violin" next week... 😄 🎻 💗
Ayyy! twoset team here!!!
The fist bump at the end pulled me out of my trance, and turned my agape, slack-jawed expression into a smile. Such a class act through and through.
She honors her Heavenly Father and brings glory to Him, who gave her this divine talent! Absolutely, breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL!!!
Amen
did she just memorize the whole score that is about 20mins long 😭😭😭😭😭 SO MUCH RESPECTTT
This is too angelical.
Probably my favourite piece of classical music, I live in England near many hills and hear sky larks very often, they remind me of my childhood when my family used to picnic in the countryside.
Marvelous,beautiful, masterful she’s a pleasure to watch,GOD bless her
I don't even know what to say... this is very good.
As far as I can remember this is the best performance of any piece I ever heard.
That high vibrato when the orchestra stops. Amazing!
This is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard
Agree totally. So grateful that the marvelous orchestra enhanced the beauty of Chloe's violin.
she speaks within music
Chloé et son violon, chaque note est une merveille, sensibilité et source de grâce. Merci Chloé ❤❤❤
16 dislikes?
They sure don't know what masterpiece is.
I dont understand music at all
But Dear Chloe, the way you play remind me of an enchanting China nature landscape and culture (?) at the beginning.
Then I feel like I was playing in Wonderland with Alice. It's one complete perfect adventure through the beautiful places and going back home with heart full of heart warming feelings. Such a wonderful performance. Thank you!
I love this tune since a little kid when i herd it at my grandparents place
I often watch this violin peace on you tube. I admire all the soloist, who perform this violin peace such as Janine Jansen, Hillary Hahn, E.T.C. Thanks to William and all the soloist. I am an 85 years old Iranian and for the first time I watched Chole Chua playing this peace and I could not help myself to weep and to cry. Recently a young lady with the name SEPIDEH RASHNO was arrested in Iran and beaten and tortured so hard, that the prison authorities had to take her to hospital because of internal bleeding. SEPIDEH RASHNO did not believe in HEJAB ( covering the hair for women ). Thank you Chloe Chua, you made me to pour out my sorrow for SEPIDEH RASHNO's suffering.
Well said.
Chloe's performances are a beacon of hope, and offer great consolation, in this vale of tears.
Thank you Ahmad for sharing your feelings in a time of great sorrow and courage in your country
Brawo, Chloe. Świetnie. Dziękuję i pozdrawiam. Marek Furtak z Lublina.
Watching them stand and make music together is astoundingly beautiful and humbling.
Hear how faithfully Chloe's playing and Vaughan Williams' music bring to life the poem that lent the piece its name:
We want the key of his wild note
Of truthful in a tuneful throat,
The song seraphically free
Of taint of personality,
So pure that it salutes the suns
The voice of one for millions,
In whom the millions rejoice
For giving their one spirit voice.
***
George Meredith
The Lark Ascending
He rises and begins to round,
He drops the silver chain of sound
Of many links without a break,
In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake,
All intervolv’d and spreading wide,
Like water-dimples down a tide
Where ripple ripple overcurls
And eddy into eddy whirls;
A press of hurried notes that run
So fleet they scarce are more than one,
Yet changingly the trills repeat
And linger ringing while they fleet,
Sweet to the quick o’ the ear, and dear
To her beyond the handmaid ear,
Who sits beside our inner springs,
Too often dry for this he brings,
Which seems the very jet of earth
At sight of sun, her music’s mirth,
As up he wings the spiral stair,
A song of light, and pierces air
With fountain ardor, fountain play,
To reach the shining tops of day,
And drink in everything discern’d
An ecstasy to music turn’d,
Impell’d by what his happy bill
Disperses; drinking, showering still,
Unthinking save that he may give
His voice the outlet, there to live
Renew’d in endless notes of glee,
So thirsty of his voice is he,
For all to hear and all to know
That he is joy, awake, aglow,
The tumult of the heart to hear
Through pureness filter’d crystal-clear,
And know the pleasure sprinkled bright
By simple singing of delight,
Shrill, irreflective, unrestrain’d,
Rapt, ringing, on the jet sustain’d
Without a break, without a fall,
Sweet-silvery, sheer lyrical,
Perennial, quavering up the chord
Like myriad dews of sunny sward
That trembling into fulness shine,
And sparkle dropping argentine;
Such wooing as the ear receives
From zephyr caught in choric leaves
Of aspens when their chattering net
Is flush’d to white with shivers wet;
And such the water-spirit’s chime
On mountain heights in morning’s prime,
Too freshly sweet to seem excess,
Too animate to need a stress;
But wider over many heads
The starry voice ascending spreads,
Awakening, as it waxes thin,
The best in us to him akin;
And every face to watch him rais’d,
Puts on the light of children prais’d,
So rich our human pleasure ripes
When sweetness on sincereness pipes,
Though nought be promis’d from the seas,
But only a soft-ruffling breeze
Sweep glittering on a still content,
Serenity in ravishment.
For singing till his heaven fills,
’T is love of earth that he instils,
And ever winging up and up,
Our valley is his golden cup,
And he the wine which overflows
To lift us with him as he goes:
The woods and brooks, the sheep and kine
He is, the hills, the human line,
The meadows green, the fallows brown,
The dreams of labor in the town;
He sings the sap, the quicken’d veins;
The wedding song of sun and rains
He is, the dance of children, thanks
Of sowers, shout of primrose-banks,
And eye of violets while they breathe;
All these the circling song will wreathe,
And you shall hear the herb and tree,
The better heart of men shall see,
Shall feel celestially, as long
As you crave nothing save the song.
Was never voice of ours could say
Our inmost in the sweetest way,
Like yonder voice aloft, and link
All hearers in the song they drink:
Our wisdom speaks from failing blood,
Our passion is too full in flood,
We want the key of his wild note
Of truthful in a tuneful throat,
The song seraphically free
Of taint of personality,
So pure that it salutes the suns
The voice of one for millions,
In whom the millions rejoice
For giving their one spirit voice.
Yet men have we, whom we revere,
Now names, and men still housing here,
Whose lives, by many a battle-dint
Defaced, and grinding wheels on flint,
Yield substance, though they sing not, sweet
For song our highest heaven to greet:
Whom heavenly singing gives us new,
Enspheres them brilliant in our blue,
From firmest base to farthest leap,
Because their love of Earth is deep,
And they are warriors in accord
With life to serve and pass reward,
So touching purest and so heard
In the brain’s reflex of yon bird;
Wherefore their soul in me, or mine,
Through self-forgetfulness divine,
In them, that song aloft maintains,
To fill the sky and thrill the plains
With showerings drawn from human stores,
As he to silence nearer soars,
Extends the world at wings and dome,
More spacious making more our home,
Till lost on his aërial rings
In light, and then the fancy sings.
Divine.
thank you for the poem, it's so lovely!
@@otaku-chan4888 You're most welcome. As lovely as the music it gave rise to.
What a Surprise...Chloe Chua is Back😎🎉🎉🎉
Too beautiful to describe
Blind can see
Deaf can hear
Dead live again
Thank you thank you
Lovely inspiring
Bravi
I can’t wait to hear this live on stage. May the pandemic leave us all sooner than expected. Crossed fingers
Exquisite!!!! We love you so much Chloe!!!!
This brought tears to my eyes and an ache to my chest because of it's beauty. Thank you!
Chloe, your playing brings much joy to everyone who is fortunate enough to hear you perform. Bravo to the orchestra too. Can we have more, please? 👏
Chloe's performance with Ye Lin and the SSO of Bach's double concerto will be streamed on the SSO's channel in less than a month's time on 21 May.
It isn't free to watch but e-tickets cost only US $6 (unless one wants to give a donation by paying more) and give access to the performance whenever and as often one likes until 4 June.
I hope you, indeed all of Chloe's fans will buy one. It is time we showed our appreciation for the magnificent performances she has given us so generously for nothing.
Details of how are buy a ticket--the process is very simple--are here
th-cam.com/video/hoqziX47JHw/w-d-xo.html
That smile while you're playing♡, it's just so beautiful along with the music♡.
When asked about this performance by some critic, ling ling answered "I'm not bothered. I have always wanted to play the cello."
Hi Jack! It's great to get your reply! Thank you for introducing Bean's and Boult's versions, I think they are great! Thanks for sharing :)
And I agree with what you said, after all I am not musically trained :)
@@ivantan3881
Yes, Bean/Boult is very fine and it was my favourite recording before Chloe's.
Notice though that in one respect there is a huge difference: B/B get through it in 14.42; but Chloe takes 16.40!
Hilarly Hahn has spoken about the choice of tempo in this piece, and what she says illuminates Chloe's development generally and her approach to this piece in particular. I'm going to post a comment explaining the details soon.
(I have no musical training either, unless one counts a great deal of careful listening - which perhaps does count for at least a little bit (no doubt in your case too).)
@@jackburgess8579 yes the longer time that Chloe took was one of the first things I noticed, besides gliss in some areas. I enjoy reading and appreciate your thoughtful comments.
@@ivantan3881
Good spot (and thanks)!
Bean's tempo is around what used to be the norm but Chloe's performance is amongst the slowest _ever_!
(In my post, in addition to reflecting on the significance of Chloe's tempo in this performance I will observe that she/her mother/her teacher Yin Ke made a decision to slow down her tempi for the Menuhin Competition, and suggest that this decision was a key factor in the magnificence of her performances there.)
...just held my breath for 17:35. Absolutely mesmerizing.
Hi Chloe, I am watching your movie from Iran.
Thank you so much for sharing all this beauty with us ❤️
We are all proud of you.
I don't know English very well and I used a translator :)
(we use Farsi language)
Wonderful! I love the fantastic emotion in her playing.
Still too beautiful to be believed.
Chloe, you are little princess. Very nicely game this beautiful music. Orchestra fantastic 👏👏👏
What a legend!
This is the first time I'm listening to this piece and I'm so glad it's through the medium of Chloe's ethereal playing and this amazing orchestra's support. Every little musical expression feels... right. Idk the technicalities of it but the orchestra has done a commendable job in resonating with her just right. The energy's neither overwhelming, nor too damped. This is just... perfection
Singapore! here I come! beautiful!
Chloe es GENIAL, la admiro mucho, para mí, la mejor violinista del siglo XXI.💐🌟
I agree!
It's like a little angel playing the violin. You're my inspiration Chloe!!!💖
Charmante petite alouette avec ses trilles joyeux si bien exécutés par Chloe dont le jeu de l'archet est excellent. Enfin c'est mon point de vue... Merci donc à notre chère jeune violoniste et à l'orchestre pour ce très beau partage.
One day I'll definitely come to your concert ☘️☘️☘️
That’s a must do for me too!
precision, accuracy, flow... breathtaking, literally
am not a musician, just enjoying a great musical performance by great artists...
also, reading some of the posts/comments here regarding her technique and skills is very informative...
Kudos to you guys and Twoset Violin...
Cette violoniste n'a pas d'âge, c'est une incroyable violoniste!
Beauty playing beauty.
Absolutely beautiful Chloe. Your artistry and musicality speak directly to my heart. Thankyou!!!!
Nice one chloe, always amazing!
Professor Chloe and Ralph Vaughan Williams - what could be better?! Thank you, just beautiful moments!
Truly beautiful….what a magical gift , every note sings . Very moving
Beautiful, a stunning performance
Beautiful piece .. . beautiful playing .. beautiful player. ( i need more adjectives )
I wondered when she would play this. Wonderful
Stunning. Tears.
So beautiful and touching. Thank you so much. You look like an angel to me.
Always a pleasure to watch you perform. Someday hope to watch it personally.
I love Chloe!!!
I love the sound you create when playing your violin! So angelic as always!
Beautiful performance! Thank you for sharing.
Such a beautiful composition.
Very sweet sound. :-)
Super fantastic, magic fingers!!!💪🎵🎶🎻
Chloeeee I am one of your fan
Incredible work Chloe, great job.
Brava, Chloe. Thank you for another magnificent performance.