Photographs from SHAUN CHOO'S Lecture-Recital at NAFA

One of Singapore's finest young pianists, Shaun Choo, returned to give a lecture-recital at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts on Tuesday 30 January 2018. He is a student of the Salzburg Mozarteum where he had been schooling since the age of 14. Upon completing his national service some years ago, he resumed his studies and pursued a worldwide concert career. He was last here as a jury member of the 1st Nanyang International Music Competition in July 2017.  

He now performs with a maturity and staggering confidence when previously, his audiences were impressed by his youth and poise. In a recital that included the Bach-Busoni Chaconne, Schubert's Impromptu in G flat major, Chopin's Fourth Ballade and Debussy's L'Isle Joyeuse, he made everything sound so simple, and so natural, with the ease that comes with breathing. 

Also unafraid to flex his virtuoso musculature, he completed his recital with Kapustin's Toccatina (from Etudes Op.40) and added as an encore, an original ragtime composition of his own. It was simply a jaw-dropping display of outsized musicianship. Attended by many students, there is much they can learn from this brightest of rising piano stars. 

Working his way to a dramatic finish.

Shaun's short lecture was on the subject of
Competancy vs Competition.

Photographs from the SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION 2018

2ND SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL 

VIOLIN COMPETITION 

27 January - 8 February 2018

The triennial Singapore International Violin Competition has returned after its very successful first outing in 2015. Organised by the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, it is surely becoming the premier international violin competition of Asia. 31 of the world's finest young violinists from 11 nations were selected to perform in four rounds of competition (including two concerto finals!) to vie for significant prize money, concert opportunities and the chance to play on a priceless violin from the Rin Collection.

At the opening ceremony, the contestants drew lots to determine the order of performance in all the rounds. There were two no-shows, and so 29 violinists performed their first round recitals at the Conservatory over three days.

10-year-old Singaporean violinist Chloe Chua was given the honour to perform at the Opening Ceremony, and she whipped off a Wieniawski Etude-Caprice with an unforced, natural virtuosity and the greatest of ease. 

Some of the contestants are probably thinking,
"Thank God she is not taking part!"

Here are some of the international jury members:
Viktor Tretyakov has a jaw-dropping moment,
Kam Ning and her former teacher Mauricio Fuks
look bemused, while Silvia Marcovici appears concerned.

The great Singaporean violinist, present and future:
Kam Ning with Chloe Chua

Getting to meet a violin legend:
Viktor Tretyakov's Melodiya LP from the 1960s,
which I bought from $3 at the old Soviet Gallery
formerly at Lucky Plaza.
Tretyakov's wife reckons he
looks exactly the same as before!

A selection of Rin Collection historic
violins on display.

"The Pearl" Amati is so named because of its
mother-of-pearl inlaid star on its scroll.

First Round solo recital:
Chisa Kitagawa (Japan)

Sergei Dogadin (Russia)

Kyung Ji Min (South Korea)

12 violinists were selected to perform in the semi-finals from 1 to 3 February 2018. Sadly, Singapore's Gabriel Ng is not among them but there are still three violinist in the running who have had connections with Singapore. Anna Lee (USA) lived in Singapore when she a child and was a student of former SSO concertmaster Alexander Souptel, while Oleksandr Korniev (Ukraine) and Shi Xiaoxuan (China) are both alumni of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. Way to go!

The performance schedules may be found here:

https://www.singaporeviolincompetition.com/latest-news/

SIVC Artist-in-Residence Shlomo Mintz performs a solo recital of all six Ysaye Unaccompanied Sonatas at the Conservatory tonight (Wednesday, 31 January 2018) at 7.30 pm. Not to be missed!

RHAPSODIES OF SPRING 2018: HOME FOR THE NEW YEAR / Singapore Chinese Orchestra / Review

RHAPSODIES OF SPRING 2018:

HOME FOR THE NEW YEAR

Singapore Chinese Orchestra

Singapore Conference Hall

Saturday (27 January 2018)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 29 January 2017 with the title "Canine camp for the new year".

The first music to be heard at the newly renovated Singapore Conference Hall auditorium was Li Huan Zhi's Spring Festival Overture, providing a most rousing start to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra's annual Chinese New Year concert. Soon after conductor Yeh Tsung gave the down beat, one marvelled at the venue's new found acoustics. Once considered over-dry, under- reverberant and requiring audio enhancement, those criticisms will soon be things of the past.

There is now a naturalness to the symphonic sound, such that instrumental details are better defined, rather than being submerged beneath unnatural echoes and artificial augmentations. However hearing better sound does not necessarily translate into hearing better music, as this populist programme proved.

Chinese violinist Lu Siqing was guest soloist, opening with Eric Watson's idiomatic arrangement of Vivaldi's Spring from The Four Seasons. This was the same piece played by Joshua Bell in his famous SCO collaboration in 2016, and it sounded just as good this time, thanks to Lu's innate musicality, virtuosity and sympathetic orchestral accompaniment.

He was also soloist in two short concertante works carrying the imprimatur of Chen Gang, the better-known half in the composing duo of the Liang Zhu Concerto. Basking in his sumptuous sound and Phoon Yew Tien's lush orchestrations would be sufficent reward. But whoever dreamt of such titles like Golden Platform Of The Steel-Smelting Furnace or Taking The Tiger Mountain By Strategy? It seemed more like a marriage between Socialist Realism and the Butterfly Lovers.    

Suona principal Jin Shi Yi is the master
of the single long-held note.

The best music came from Kuan Nai Chung and Law Wai Lun. Kuan's Instrumental Guide To The Chinese Orchestra was the excellent Chinese solution to Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra. Its main theme, Molihua, was subject to variations from all the traditional Chinese instruments and aided by a witty and often mischievous narration by local television personality and comedian Mark Lee.

Law's highly evocative score accompanied the short 2011 film The Reunion Dinner by award-winning director Anthony Chen of Ilo Ilo fame. Nostalgia reigned supreme in this piece which espoused filial piety, family values, and the good old days of not worrying about speaking in Hokkien.

As the Chinese zodiac counted down to the “Year of the Dog”, there had to be canine-related pieces. Eric Watson's medley of Gershwin's Promenade (also known as Walking The Dog) and the Patti Page classic How Much Is That Doggy In The Window? with winds simulating yelps from mutts was camp beyond words.

Increasingly resembling a television variety show, the concert came close to descending into farce with the Chinese New Year songs and vocal/rap numbers penned by the likes of Jack Neo, Kenn C and Mark Lee himself. Lee was at best a crooner while his otherwise able co-host Chen Biyu tended to scream out the high registers. The lyrics extolled wealth and prosperity, Sinophone audiences are parsimonious in sing-alongs, but do have a happy new year anyway.  

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW / re:Sound / Review

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

re:Sound

Victoria Concert Hall

Thursday (25 January 2018)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 29 January 2018 with the title "See how the violin conducted".

Singapore's premier chamber ensemble, re:Sound, has been regularly working with the land's top soloists and leaders through its past two seasons. Violinist Kam Ning and pianist Melvyn Tan have featured centrestage in past concerts, and its latest gig saw a guest appearance by young award-winning violinist Ike See (locals know him as See Ian Ike), now member of the august Australian Chamber Orchestra.

The concert's first half featured only strings, opening with the stirring strains of Grieg's Holberg Suite. This perennial favourite took on a silver sheen in the driving velocity of its Prelude, with a full and rich sonority coming through with great immediacy.

Modelled on baroque dances, much care was taken to shape each of its five movements, such that   they sounded greater than the sum of parts. In the stately Air, cellos sang mellifluously over a rocking accompaniment while the final Rigaudon bristled with invigorating energy.  

See turned soloist for Prokofiev's Five Melodies Op.35b, originally conceived for wordless soprano voice, in a subtle yet effective arrangement by American violinist-conductor Joseph Swensen. See's violin was well-supported by the ensemble, musing in bittersweet contemplations while soaring above the throng in heady climaxes. This was not a showy suite, but one illuminated by a genuine and heartfelt musicianship.

It would not do for the first half to end quietly. Thus Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances fulfilled the role of crowd-pleaser, with See leading the crew in a rowdy romp like a gypsy band high on spirits, the imbibable kind, of course.   

Modern performances of Mozart's Symphony No.41 in C major (K.551), known as the “Jupiter”, are traditionally led by a conductor from the podium. See did what 18^th century musicians did in their time by leading the orchestra from his violin. Trading baton for bow, he was an animated presence who moved, swayed, waved and rocked with each phrase and measure.

The results were little short of spectacular. Even the opening bars of the 1^st movement were “in your face”, unafraid of asserting itself and qualified by vigorous thumps from Michael Tan's timpani. This was not a performance that allowed for coasting through, as every musical response and counter-response had something important and vital to say.

After an almost exhausting opening movement, the ensuing slow 2^nd movement was to be no traditional Romanze either. Although sharply-placed accents piqued the ears, there was grace all around, living up to the genteel spirit of the Rococo. The 3^rd movement's Minuet and Trio traipsed lightly and buoyantly, distinguished by very fine woodwind playing.

The tour de force of contrapuntal writing that was the finale had the feel of a glorious homecoming.  Tricky fugal writing was surmounted with not just finely-honed facility, but with the pride of ownership. Tautly held together from start to end, this was a performance of Mozart's final symphony that one longed for here and hitherto thought unattainable. That is until now.       

Photographs by the kind courtesy of re:Sound.

CD Reviews (The Straits Times, January 2018)

PIANO CONCERTOS

ADDINSELL. ROTA. PIAZZOLLA

DONKA ANGATSCHEWA, Piano

Vogtland Philharmonie / Stefan Fraas

Ars Production 38 168 / ****1/2

CINEMA CLASSICS

THE PIANO AT THE MOVIES

SEE SIANG WONG, Piano

Sony Classical 88985353612 (2 Cds) / ****

The ability of the piano to bring out human emotions and feelings accounts for its ubiquitous use in movie music to augment real-time action on the silver screen. These two recordings mine a well-excavated vein that does not look like exhausting soon.

Not all the works in the album by Bulgaria-born pianist Donka Angatscheva was originally conceived for piano, but every bit sounds evocative. Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto (composed for war movie Dangerous Moonlight) is a classic in recycling Rachmaninov's lush Romantic renderings. 

Nino Rota's Concerto Soiree is a concert piece in four short movements, reliving the different styles of his movie music – the pathos-laden, dramatic and comedic. Astor Piazolla's Four Seasons Of Buenos Aires is a celebration of the sultry tango cast as a four-movement piano trio concerto, with hot-blooded passion overflowing.  

Dutch-Chinese pianist See Siang Wong's double-disc of piano solos from the movies leans heavily on the New Age and minimalist groove, which makes for enjoyable lounge music. 

There are tracks by Michael Nyman (The Piano), Dave Grusin (On Golden Pond), Ryuichi Sakamoto (Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence and The Last Emperor), Philip Glass (The Hours and The Truman Show), Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away) and Yiruma (River Flows In You), but not everything such as Pachelbel's Canon or Mahler's Adagietto translates equally well for piano. This is nonetheless easy listening.

CD Review (The Straits Times, January 2018)

KAZHLAEV Piano Music

CHISATO KUSUNOKI, Piano

Grand Piano 688 / ****1/2

Murad Kazhlaev (born 1931) is the grand old man of music in the Russian republic of Dagestan, located in the Caucasus. His multi-faceted talents involved composing, conducting, teaching and leading a jazz band during a period of Soviet history when West-leaning activities were frowned upon. 

He was a friend of composer Shostakovich and pianist Sviatoslav Richter besides also being an excellent pianist. The late Lazar Berman recorded some of his Preludes for piano, but London-based Japanese pianist Chisato Kusunoki's 70-minute anthology represents the most comprehensive survey of his music to date. 

 

Kazhlaev's nationalism is on show in the Dagestan Album (1973), a suite of ten short pieces based on ethnic folk songs and dances. His Preludes (1956 & 1961) are closer in style to Rachmaninov, Medtner and the nationalist Khachaturian, rather than the dissonance of Prokofiev or Shostakovich. 

The very likeable Romantic Sonatina (1952), in three movements, is tinged with subtle blues harmonies without being overtly subversive. The collection closes with Picture Pieces (1953-71), nine brief character studies that traverses a myriad of influences including neoclassicism, jazz and film music. 

With the composer's guidance, Kusunoki's very sympathetic and virtuosic performances present this unfamiliar but very accessible music in the best possible light.     

INTERNATIONAL PIANO ISLAND FESTIVAL / Review

INTERNATIONAL PIANO 

ISLAND FESTIVAL 2018

Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

Tuesday & Thursday 

(9 & 11 January 2018)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 13 January 2018 with the title "Delicious sounds at new piano festival".

In the 25^th year of the well-established Singapore International Piano Festival (due later in June), a new international piano festival has emerged. Founded by Singaporean pianist Wang Congyu, the week-long event included a competition for youngsters, masterclasses, lectures and piano recitals by members of its international faculty.

There could not have been a more varied programme than Thursday night's offering by young Portuguese pianist Vasco Dantas. Opening with Schumann's Kinderszenen (Scenes Of Childhood) and closing with Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition, this was a recital of contrasts, from arch simplicity to a vivid play of exotic and sometimes disturbing visions. 

He possesses the technique and endurance to master the sprawl of these canvasses, the imagination and palette to colour and characterise each of the 28 short pieces within. In between, Liszt-student Vianna da Motta's delightfully rustic Portuguese Scenes and the fearsome Guido Agosti transcription of three movements from Stravinsky's The Firebird provided further delicious piques for the ears.

A standing ovation from the audience was a just result. Tagged on like encores were Gershwin's Three Preludes, teasing with rhythm and blues, and Dantas' own improvisation on the hit song I Got Rhythm with motifs from Jingle Bells cheekily inserted.

Earlier in the evening, Michael Bulychev-Okser (Russia/USA) held a lecture-recital that centred on the art of transciption. The Bach-Busoni chorale prelude Ich Ruft Zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ, Glinka-Balakirev The Lark and Kreisler-Rachmaninov Liebesleid (Love’s Sorrow) were familiar enough, but it was his selection of rarities that stood out.

Eduard Schütt's transcription of Brahms' Wiegenlied (Lullaby) was a showpiece guaranteed to keep babies (and audiences) awake. The lilt of Tirindelli-Liszt Mazurka No.2 was simply disarming while the Arensky-Siloti At The Fountain shimmered brilliantly through the underlying melancholy. Two Earl Wild etudes on Gershwin songs (Someone Like You and The Man I Love) and Rachmaninov's coruscating Floods Of Spring sealed a totally enjoyable virtuoso showcase.  

Held on Tuesday evening was a four-hands recital by locally-based husband-and-wife duo of Nicholas Ong (Malaysia) and Kim Bo Kyung (South Korea). Debussy's graceful 4-movement Petite Suite conjured visions of the Belle Epoque, from the gentle lilt of En Bateau (Sailing) to the final Ballet's exuberance. These paradigms of gentility were soon trumped by the waltzing tritones and dancing skeletons of Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre, a witty celebration of things that go bump in the night.

On his own, Ong gave a scintillating reading of Schumann's Allegro in B major (Op.8), a rarity in recitals simply because it is so difficult to play. The duo resumed in the second half with Six Morceaux (Op.11) of Rachmaninov, varied short works that included a barcarolle, scherzo, waltz, romance, Russian song and Tsarist anthem. The interactive tension, delicate interplay and impeccable musicianship displayed are reasons why live performance will always be more exciting than any reproduced recording.

There will be competition performances and recitals till the closing evening on Monday. 

More Photographs from OMM10:DISCOVER OPEN REHEARSAL

Here are some more photographs from rehearsals of the Orchestra of the Music Makers' 10th anniversary concert to be held on Saturday 13 January 2018 at Esplanade Concert Hall. Conducted by Chan Tze Law, works by Dvorak, Wagner, Korngold, Arutiunian, Marquez and the World Premiere of Siginnah! (Naughty Boys) by Singaporean composer Jonathan Shin will be performed.

Tickets are still available at SISTIC:

https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/cdiscover0118

The Lorong Boys take centrestage for
Jonathan Shin's Siginnah!

Violinists Gabriel Lee and David Loke.

Flautist Rit Xu and percussionist Joachim Lim
with conductor Chan Tze Law.

As you can see, Siginnah!
is a concerto of naughty pranks.

With a lusty shout of Siginnah!
from the Lorong Boys,
the concerto closes with exuberance.

OMM alumnus and present SSO trumpeter
Lau Wen Rong plays Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto. 

Jonathan Shin and the Lorong Boys
meet students from Ang Mo Kio Secondary School
and National Junior College.