ERIC WATSON'S WORLD
OF CHINESE MUSIC
Singapore Chinese Orchestra / YEH TSUNG
SCO / ****1/2
The
British composer-pedagogue Eric Watson is the present Composer-in-Residence
of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. This unusual accolade was a culmination of
sorts after winning First Prize in the First Singapore International
Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition (2006) with his tone poem Tapestry
- Time Dances, a sympathetic fusion of Western compositional technique and
Chinese instrumentation with Nanyang characteristics.
His
sound world is eclectic with myriad Asian influences and a popular slant
without sounding derivative, which could not have been conceived by any
Westerner not living in the Far East . Six works are represented in this 65-minute capsule
profile, opening with Mahjong Kakis, a jazzy and blues-inflected
orchestral scherzo. Tapestry – Time Dances and An Independent Note
share a similar aesthete, the latter a collection of Lee Kuan Yew quotes
recited with stentorian vigour by veteran actor Lim Kay Tong.
Dialogue for tabla and Chinese orchestra is a concerto with
improvisation, featuring young tabla virtuoso Govin Tan doing the honours. The
Ceilidh and Songs Of The North are concerto for orchestra and
concerto grosso respectively, using songs from the British isles
to stunning effect. The latter sees Celtic fiddle, English concertina, dizi and
pipa sharing the stage as solo instruments. Such a heady combination
could only come from Singapore
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