Sophia Lim plays Godowsky’s complete Java Suite

Leopold Godowsky’s Java Suite is a monumental work made up of four parts. The individual parts are not programmed often–I certainly have never come across them in recitals–not to mention the work in its entirety. Despite being published in 1925, it wasn’t until 2000 that the work received its first complete recording.

So it was a delightful discovery to hear Sophia Lim perform the entire Java Suite today at St Mary Le Strand Church, a beautiful establishment right by the Thames river.

I suppose one of the reasons the Suite didn’t get much attention during the twentieth century was because it belonged to a wave of “Orientalist” music, infusing fascination of the East with high Romantic doses of Western nostalgia and idealism. This musical language would have seemed outdated during the time of publication, when the music of Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Bartók were at the height of their powers, nor would Godowsky’s vague understanding of Javanese music–mostly typified by the use of pentatonic scale–be welcome amongst the growing army of ethnomusicologists.

Yet the music is full of exotic and rich colours and Godowsky’s virtuosically inclined mind imbues it with bursts of excitement that makes it entertaining for the listener. One feels one is stepping into an imaginary and fantastical land, participating in Godowsky’s sense of wonder as he traverses territories unfamiliar yet inspiring.

Sophia’s playing evokes such colours as described in Godowsky’s tonal travelogue, mesmerizing us with the effervescent embellishments over simple yet catchy melodies. Her relaxed posture allowed for beautiful, light sounds to flow naturally from the soundboard of the Steinway, but she can also be relentless in the faster movements, pounding away dexterously to evoke the scenes bursting with activity and joy. Underneath the broad strokes of Godowsky’s Romanticism lies a meticulous demand for fast fingers and a big technique, and Sophia certainly has the technique worthy of holding that brush.

I particularly enjoyed the “Bromo Volcano and Sand Sea at Day Break”, where, with the help of Sophia’s keen understanding of the musical structure and ability to sustain a long build-up, one feels the culmination of all that has happened burst into a brilliant climax, as if one has climbed to the top of a mountain and surveys his surroundings with a feeling of sublimity.

Godowsky’s Java Suite is not an easy piece to programme because the four parts are fairly similar in their structures; in fact, it wasn’t meant to be performed in its entirety. But Sophia has taken on the challenge to present the complete Suite in one sitting–as a pianist I can tell you it is certainly no mean feat!–and has made a strong case for it this afternoon at St Mary Le Strand.

Article featured photo courtesy of St Mary Le Strand.