Striking the right chord

The theater lights dim, leaving only the spotlight on the stage. The whispering crowd falls silent as they train their eyes on the artist, collectively holding their breath in anticipation.

Gently and deftly, Chin Kim picks up his violin, an instrument he's known for more than 55 years. A melody pours mellifluously from its vibrating strings, switching from major to minor, with several deceptive cadences thrown in between, followed by a bravura flourish and a series of extraordinary trills that celebrate the 15-minute sonata's charged theme.

"It's the Violin Sonata in G minor, or the Devil's Trill, by Giuseppe Tartini," Kim told China Daily during a rehearsal in Wuxi, Jiangsu province in May. He stretches out two fingers to imitate the tiptoeing demon that reputedly appeared at the composer's bedside, inspiring the composition.