NATIONAL PIANO &
VIOLIN COMPETITION 2021
PIANO (ARTIST) &
VIOLIN (ARTIST) FINALS
Victoria Concert Hall,
livestreamed on SSO Facebook
Sunday (5 December 2021)
If you are an advanced piano or violin student in Singapore, and December rolls up on an odd-numbered year, there can only be one thing in mind – the National Piano & Violin Competition (NPVC). This is the most prestigious musical competition of the island-state, representing the pinnacle of what music students can achieve when they put their minds and hands to it. Taking place every two years, the NPVC identifies the nation’s top young talents on both instruments, many of whom later become important members of the musical community, enriching our concert halls for years to come.
The Artist Category for musicians under the age of 25 is the most demanding of the four categories, and entails a performance of a full-length concerto in the final round. This is also the climax and most anticipated event of the competition, typically involving six concerto performances with no less than the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (also the competition’s organiser).
Due to the Covid pandemic, there was to be no orchestra accompanying soloists for the first time in 20 years. Thus this year’s finals performances were accompanied on piano instead. A downer for certain, but that did not diminish the efforts and quality of the performances by the deserving finalists. The finals were also closed to the public, but thanks to live-streaming, it could be enjoyed from the comfort from home. Slouching snugly on an armchair, here are my observations of the actual performances...
Piano (Artist) Finals
Kuo Lyu-Yan gave an exciting and taut account of Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. After the relative strait-jacket of its opening six variations, there were opportunities to let loose. She took these in her stride, fearlessly launching into the cadenza of Var.XI. Some caution was observed in the free-wheeling Var.XV, thus preventing proceedings from going off the rails as less controlled performances tend to do. The transition to minor to major mode in Var.XVIII provided a magical moment, leading into the glorious D flat major melody which was milked for all its worth. There was a short stretch of uncertainty in Var.XX but cool heads prevailed, ensuring the build-up to a grandstanding finish to be a thrilling one. The nonchalance of its final bar, Rachmaninov at his most sardonic, was also delivered spot-on.
Sean Gan Chu Chao’s lyrical account Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto in F minor also had much to recommend. The orchestral ritornello which typically builds up for the piano’s dramatic entry was severely truncated for purposes of the competition, but that did little to diminish the overall music making. He has a beautiful touch, and an instinctive feel for the ebb and flow of the music that is admirable. When it came to fast running bits, his fingers were also up to the task. This poetry continued into the nocturne-like Larghetto slow movement, with further scope for sheer lyricism and soul-searching. The Rondo finale could have caught fire, but it was more of a slow burn. The rhythmic lilt of the mazurka-like dance was infectious, and the musicality and artistry involved made it all the more absorbing.
It was interesting to note that Gan accompanied Kuo in her Rachmaninov, while the roles were reversed with Kao accompanying Gan in the Chopin. Having to play two concertos in quick succession seems like a superhuman feat. This arrangement might also have put Gan at a disadvantage having to accompany first and play solo after that. And would this gambit have lessened the chances of both aiming for the top prize?
It would thus depend on the performance of the third pianist Chong Jun Hao, whose account of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor is as assured as they come. The chord-laden solo that opened the concerto was gripping in intensity, without the navel-gazing associated with self-absorbed players (Lang Lang comes to mind). The next half-hour showed that for this young artist, music comes first. The fine balance of lyrical playing and barnstorming fireworks was well maintained for all three movements of this totally musical reading. Close to flawless, he let the music speak for itself, and when push came to shove, he was unafraid to let it all go. And he also had an excellent accompanist in Dean Fu who had only this sole task for the morning.
The jury of Anna Tsybuleva (Russia, 2015 Leeds winner), Ewa Kupiec (Poland) and Lan Shui (SSO Conductor Laureate) awarded two 1st prizes to Guo Lyu-Yan (Rach Pag) and Sean Gan Chu Chao (Chopin No.2), no 2nd prize and a 3rd prize to Chong Jun Hao (Rach No.2). Should this come as a surprise? After all, a joint 1st prize at the NPVC Artist Finals has been unprecedented. However, it is the clearest testimony to the high standards of piano playing and teaching achieved over the years.
Violin (Artist) Finals
There have always been fewer participating violinists in NPVC, so it is little surprise that there were just two finalists, selected from a small pool of five. It is quality than quantity that really matters, and so it proved.
Chien Chin’s unaccompanied solo to open Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.2 in G minor, confidently taken and breathtaking to boot, was proof of intent in this trickily thorny yet lyrical work. Her tone was fulsome and intonation spotless, and the sense of soaring came across winningly in the central Andante assai slow movement, which had the heady feel of Romeo and Juliet about it. Her technique stood up well to scrutiny in the fast outer movements, including the wild dance of the rondo finale which almost came to grief at the final stretch but nerves held for a stunning and somewhat abrupt close. There were no castanets but Ge Xiaozhe provided excellent accompaniment on the piano.
It was an arguable claim that Dai Ailin had the slightly easier task in Wieniawski Violin Concerto No.2, a Romantic work where the solo part was more exposed. No worries, as she overcame the requisite pyrotechnics with seeming effortlessness. Like Chien, her tone was voluminous and articulation precise, and like the performance before had the most heartrending moments in the central slow movement – a Romance with a treacly sweetness like no other. Despite some nervy moments in Michelle Seah’s piano accompaniment for the finale, here was a commanding solo performance that swept the board, one which will be happily relived as long as YouTube still exists.
The violin jury of Denis Goldfeld (Russia), Ezster Haffner (Austria) and Joshua Tan (Singapore National Youth Orchestra Music Director) had no doubts in awarding Dai Ailin with the 1st prize and Chien Chin in 2nd place.
Unlike previous editions where first prizes were parsimoniously witheld, it was good to see the immense efforts of the young artists (and their teachers) being rewarded and affirmed with due recognition and prizes they richly deserved. There were no poor performances in the Artist Finals, only performances that can get better with further experience and encouragement. This was finally an NPVC to warm the see-hums of the hearts.
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