SAINT-SAENS Carnival of
the Animals
BRITTEN Young Person’s
Guide to the Orchestra
It is good to see the Singapore Symphony
Orchestra begin to record popular works with outreach and music education in
mind. These two warhorses of young people’s concerts receive solid and sincere
performances with a Singaporean twist that are equal to the best in the
catalogue. Twin pianists Low Shao Ying and Shao Suan have become the republic’s
specialists in the Carnival, having
performed it on countless occasions over the years. In The Swan, SSO principal cellist Ng Pei Sian does the honours with
utmost grace and aplomb.
The added attractions are narrations by
well-known personalities from the local musical scene. William Ledbetter,
popular emcee and host for The Philharmonic Orchestra and re:mix concerts,
narrates his own well-chosen verses for the Saint-Saëns. The tandem of Andrew
Lim and Koh Chieng Mun (Symphony 92.4 FM’s The
Morning Show, Under One Roof)
present Angelena Lim’s script of the Britten Guide with their usual chemistry and enthusiasm. Both are pitched
at the upper primary school level and avoid technical jargon and musicalese.
Sold at $12 during SSO concerts, these make thoughtful gifts for the young and
young at heart.
JASCHA HEIFETZ
Fabula Classica 2224 /
****
Was Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) the greatest
violinist of the 20th century? On the evidence of this selection,
the Lithuania-born naturalised American makes very strong claims. Both
recordings of the Tchaikovsky Violin
Concerto (with the London Philharmonic conducted by John Barbirolli) and
Cesar Franck Sonata in A major
(partnered on piano by Arthur Rubinstein) date from 1937, and reveal a fluid
and near-effortless technique. Often criticised by his detractors as cold and
clinical, these accusations are nowhere to be found. More often, he sounds
warm, totally lyrical and in tune with the spirit of the music.
He takes certain liberties, even as far as to
rewriting passages of the Tchaikovsky to make himself more brilliant. The only
caveats are the crude edits and distortions of speed encountered in the
remastering process. Four bonus tracks come from his prodigious teenaged years,
virtuoso fodder including Sarasate’s Gypsy
Airs and Zapateado, Bazzini’s Dance of the Goblins and Wieniawski’s Scherzo-Tarantella. The playing fully
confirms the excitement and trepidation his first appearances aroused, when it
was suggested that all other violinists might as well break their violins
across their knees. This is mandatory listening for serious students and lovers
of the violin alike.
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