Arts

Tiffany Lam Combines Technique with Dynamics

Trading her usual violin for the viola, which she only picked up her Lower year, Tiffany Lam ’13 showcased her development as a violist at her Senior Recital this past Saturday.

Lam opened with “Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor” by J. S. Bach, originally a piece for the cello but transcribed for the viola.

“I was very nervous in the beginning because I had never had my own recital before. But I started to feel more comfortable on stage as the recital progressed,” Lam said.

Lam then took the stage with Christopher Walter, Instructor in Music and her accompanist for the evening, and performed “Arpeggione Sonata,” composed by Franz Schubert. Keeping a relaxed upper right arm and flexible wrist, Lam’s intricate bow technique wove the advancing notes together in a seamless chord progression.

“It was stressful preparing [for the recital] because I had to put a lot of time into practicing the pieces. Also, it was hard because I had to prepare multiple pieces at the same time. I would normally just focus on one piece at a time,” said Lam.

After a brief intermission, Lam played “Romanze for Viola and Orchestra” by Max Bruch.

While Walter created a tranquil atmosphere by playing warm major chords, Lam enriched the warm major chords with double-stops, which is when the violist plays two strings at the same time.

Maita Eyzaguirre ’14 said, “I really liked the ‘Romanze for the Viola and Orchestra.’ Tiffany a had lush and rich sound. Her vibrato was fairly consistent. Even when she was playing softly, she kept vibrating without letting go of the intensity of her left hand.”

Lam closed her recital with “Adagio and Allegro in A-flat Major,” composed by Robert Schumann, which was met with an enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Lam said, “The Schumann was my favorite because I had never heard the piece before preparing for the recital. Schumann established a great contrast between the adagio and the allegro, yet still maintained his usual prettiness throughout.”