Violinist Emily Sun performed as guest soloist with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra at Adelaide Town Hall on 24 & 25 June 2022 to rave reviews. She performed Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending (1914) and Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863).
Review by Graham Strahle in InDaily:
“This divine performance began from the quietest whisper, her violin rising ever so gently and eloquently above a delicate shimmer of ASO strings. It felt like time had genuinely stopped, and that we were tuning into the sounds of nature. Hosts of violinists can play The Lark Ascending work very nicely, but Sun’s poetic evocation made this performance precious…”
[In the Saint-Saëns] she again displayed a delicate touch but coupled it with lightning speed and genuine power in a performance of complete artistry. All through the piece’s whirlwind of scales, arpeggios and triple stops, Sun’s execution was faultless and her judgment impeccable. Just watching her left hand dance athletically all over the fingerboard was a sight to behold.”
Review by Dr Diana Carroll in ArtsHub:
“Acclaimed violinist Emily Sun gave perfect voice to the lark as it did indeed ascend and went soaring through the skies above… Sun thrilled the audience with her musical verve and dazzled them with her precision. … Each note Sun played shimmered in the air like a perfectly-formed icicle.”
Review by Chris Reid in Limelight, 4.5 stars:
“In a restrained but eloquent performance under conductor Benjamin Northey, violinist Emily Sun exquisitely captured the magic of the lark — it was as if the bird was hovering above the stage, with the orchestra on the ground below representing farmers, fields and villages.”
“[In the Saint-Saëns] Emily Sun excelled in this spirited ASO performance and demonstrated her versatility, following her hypnotic playing in The Lark.”