RHAPSODIES OF SPRING 2024 / Singapore Chinese Orchestra / Review

 

RHAPSODIES OF SPRING 2024 

Singapore Chinese Orchestra 

Singapore Conference Hall 

Friday (26 January 2023) 

This review was published in The Straits Times on 23 January 2024 with the title "SCO rings in Year of the Dragon with rowdy gusto".

This year’s Chinese New Year concert by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra was simply a blast. Conducted by Quek Ling Kiong, its 110 minutes had none of the usual gimmicky and time-filling costumed skits. Instead, it offered just solid music which was far greater than the sum of its parts. 

Opening the concert was Li Huanzi’s ubiquitous Spring Festival Overture arranged by Sim Boon Yew, nothing unusual about that except that this performance had an extra spark and spring in its step. 

The theme of renewal continued with Lo Leung-Fai’s Spring at the Seaside with sheng virtuoso Kevin Cheng as soloist, whose long lyrical lines provided much needed contrast. This leisurely number, despite a swifter dance-like central section, luxuriated in an indolent air, closing as quietly as it began. 

The coming Chinese zodiac year of the dragon was represented by three works, beginning with former SCO composer-in-residence Law Wai Lun’s Dragon, composed in 1982 but reorchestrated for this concert. Attributes like boldness, fearlessness and heroism all featured, the portrayal resembling the score of some Cantonese movie, with moments for solo dizi and guzheng to shine. 

SCO Principal Percussionist
Benjamin Boo.

Even more spectacular was Liu Changyuan’s Dragon Leaps to the East which showcased all nine members of the orchestra’s percussion section, with pitched percussion (marimba, xylophone and tubular bells) stealing the spotlight from unpitched percussion (a wide assortment of drums). The ultra-exuberant work’s apotheosis was none other than the popular folksong Molihua (Jasmines). 

There was simply no escape from more striking mayhem, when Glen Ng’s Rise of Feng (rearranged by Kevin Cheng) featured ten young drummers of the percussion collective Drum Feng, backed by four SCO percussionists, with suonas and dizis providing melodic content. This orgiastic and close-to-deafening display was matched by deftly controlled lighting which accentuated the drummers’ pugilistic choreography. 

The obligatory Chinese New Year songs came in two works, including Yao Min’s Spring Returns SG (rearranged by Dayn Ng), variations on the song Da Di Hui Chun (Spring Returns to the World) with Malay and Indian ornamental elements embedded into the score. 

Celebrating The New Year, a medley of three songs (often played to death as supermarket muzak) rearranged by Law Wai Lun was simply hilarious. One has not lived until one has heard Ying Chun Hua (Spring Blossom) with a bossa nova beat or the ear-worm Gong Xi Gong Xi dressed up as a seductive tango. 

The third and final dragon piece was Xu Changjun’s Dragon Dance. After an extended introduction and a big melody from the huqins, the drumming to end all drumming began with a return of Drum Feng. Its members were placed in the foreground and flanked by two dagus, the father of all drums. 

If the music were not enough, Taman Jurong Community Club’s Juboon Dragon Dance Troupe entered the fray with a gravity-defying glide, bringing the very rewarding concert to a suitably raucous conclusion.

WISHING ONE AND ALL
A PROSPEROUS AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

BRITISH BOOGIE-WOOGIE PIANOMAN STANDS UP AGAINST COMMUNIST CHINA PARTY-POOPERS

No photography please,
we're Chinese Communists!

By the time one reads this, it would have already been old news. However, one could not have even made this story up.

On last Sunday at St Pancras Rail Station, London, popular YouTuber and boogie-woogie pianist Brendan Kavanagh or Dr K was doing his usual playing and live-streaming when he was approached by a group of Chinese nationals. A young lady called Mengying Liu asked him to stop filming, stating that they had image rights that were undisclosable and needed protection. He was also asked to remove their images and voices from his video. 

Dr K playing and 
Mengying Liu is seen in the background.

Incredulous, his reply was, "This is a public place" and "We are not in China", after which he was accused of being racist. This accusation was made by one loud and aggressive Newton Leng, who went on to imply that he had touched his friend Adelina Zhang Ning, when he had merely pointed out that they were carrying Communist flags. "Don't touch her!" was his battle cry, which was repeated for another 8 or 9 times. They were all carrying the red and yellow five-star flags of the People's Republic of China, and had planned to use them in a Chinese New Year video of their own. 

Chinese alpha dog Newton Leng
thinks he's a tough guy by confronting Dr K.

Dr K might have touched
Adelina Zhang's PRC flag
but was accused of worse.

To his eternal credit, Dr K was not cowed and stood his ground. He even had a woke woman police officer called Carrie (good name for a pro-CCP stooge, from a HK viewpoint) to contend with before the whole party had dispersed into nothingness.

Now watch this video and judge for yourself:

Needless to say, the Dr K's video has gone viral, and now the whole world knows him as the British boogie-woogie man who stood up against authoritarian aggression and bullying. As for those Chinese national little pinks who did not want to be filmed, the whole world knows them too. Newton "Don't Touch Her!" Leng has become a walking internet meme. This is the Streisand Effect. 

Who were these Chinese people? Revealed below:

Their identities have also been revealed, and all had links with official Chinese agencies like the Confucius Institute, Financial Times etc, and moved in high social circles being influencers of some sort. The ironic thing is they had been living in UK for years and should have known better than to tread on British rights. It seems you can take someone out of PRC, but you cannot take the PRC out of them.

The police were called,
but Dr K firmly stood his ground. 
He had done nothing wrong!

Here's Dr.K interviewed by Piers Morgan on Uncensored:

Morals of the story: 

1. Don't f**k with pianists.

2. In Rome, do as the Romans do.  

3. Your image rights mean f**k all in a free country.

4. PRC little pinks, please do not give Chinese around the world a bad name.

5. Keep Calm and Play Piano.    

Piano Wars!

KEVIN ZHU PLAYS SHOSTAKOVICH. TCHAIKOVSKY'S PATHETIQUE / Orchestra of the Music Makers / Review

KEVIN ZHU PLAYS SHOSTAKOVICH 

TCHAIKOVSKY’S PATHETIQUE 

Orchestra of the Music Makers 

Esplanade Concert Hall 

Sunday (21 January 2024)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 23 January 2024 with the title "Kevin Zhu a serious, thinking musician".

American Chinese violinist Kevin Zhu continued his fine streak of concerts in Singapore, following up his splendid solo recital on 12 January with a performance of Soviet-era Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto in A minor (Op.99) with the Orchestra of the Music Makers conducted by Chan Tze Law. 

Composed in 1948 but premiered by violin great David Oistrakh in 1955 after dictator Stalin’s death, it is considered the greatest of all 20th century violin concertos. Zhu and the orchestra played as if they meant every bit of that billing, with the dark and bitter Nocturne probing the innermost depths of the soul. 

The searing intensity of Zhu’s violin tone and pin-point intonation also made this an enthralling journey, one that also scaled the heights of parody, dripping with acid wit and sarcasm. His razor-edged reflexes served the quicksilver Scherzo and klezmer-influenced closing Burlesque to a tee, but it was the sheer gravitas displayed in the dead-serious Passacaglia and cadenza that stood out. 

As if to further emphasise, Zhu’s encore of the slow movement from J.S.Bach’s Sonata No.2 showed that he was no mere showy virtuoso, but a serious and thinking musician as well. 

The evening opened unusually with Ravel’s La Valse, a splashy showpiece which often closes concerts with a bang. It did not really matter if OMM chose fun and games first, because this was a portrayal of old Vienna and the beloved waltz at the end of an epoch. Conductor Chan’s mastery of rubato, slowing at parts and later cranking up the velocity gave this performance a sense of inevitability, like a dying empire swallowed up by an unwinnable war. 

Polished string playing, which lent an indelible sheen to the Ravel, was called again for Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.6 in B minor (Op.74), also known as the Pathetique Symphony, which closed the concert. Premiered just a week before his untimely passing, the eternal mystery revolved around on the cause of death: was it cholera or suicide? 

This performance left little doubt that the 48-minute-long work was a farewell to life without a final flourish. The oppressive mood of its opening, the droll bassoon solo and descending melodic line on poignant strings left clues, with a furious fugato providing some semblance of struggle against Fate. Even the bittersweet waltz of the second movement was coloured by the timpani’s ominous beat, like a clock running down its time. 

The faux ending.

The third movement’s march, inexorable in its progression, was distinguished by crisply spun wind and brass playing. Its loud and pompous ending was merely a ruse, prompting nervous but premature applause but the final tragedy had yet to unfold. 

That Adagio Lamentoso finale said it all, but OMM’s vision was not one borne of neuroses, but rather world-weariness and ultimate despair. The pacing was judged perfectly, with neither sentimentality nor histrionics as its guide, which made it all the more memorable.

RACHMANINOFF PIANO CONCERTO 3 & SYMPHONY 3

RACHMANINOFF

PIANO CONCERTO 3

AND SYMPHONY 3

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Esplanade Concert Hall

18 January 2024

This review was published on Bachtrack.com on 22 January 2024 with the title "Just about satisfying second part to Singapore Symphony’s Rachmaninov Anniversary bash".

Rachmaninov is likely the favourite composer among concert-goers in Singapore, and not even Tchaikovsky has the same draw as his younger compatriot. Two pairs of concerts by the Singapore Symphony commemorating Rachmaninov’s 150th anniversary, each with a piano concerto and symphony, were filled to the rafters. If the tandem of Second Piano Concerto and Symphony the previous week proved a hit, this one with Third Piano Concerto and Symphony lagged some distance behind. 

South Korean pianist Jae-Hyuck Cho is not a household name, certainly far less known than Garrick Ohlsson from the week before, but proved he had the chops. His perfomance conducted by Hans Graf was satisfying because it occupied the Goldilocks zone: not too fast, not too slow, and just about right for all tastes. While not being middle-of-the-road, it was free of idiosyncracy, with none of the preening and posturing many young keyboard wizards are guilty of. 

He knew how to project, and made the music sing. Consistent with a lack of ostentation, he also chose the shorter, leaner and more mercurial first movement cadenza less often heard these days. He was in good company, as this was the version Rachmaninov and Horowitz themselves played and recorded. 

The orchestra brooded in the Intermezzo’s opening, setting the stage for some really emotive playing from Cho, culminating in the scintillation of a whimsical waltz sequence before launching headlong into the Alla breve finale. From here, it was a white-knuckle ride all through its pulsating and breathless end. Credit goes to all for not making any excisions, which had severely truncated Rachmaninov’s own and Horowitz’s earlier recordings. 

An enjoyable performance, made all the more memorable with Cho’s unusual encore that was his own transcription of Philadelphia-born composer Albert Hay Malotte’s The Lord’s Prayer cast in D flat major (shades of that 18th Variation), much in the chordal style of Rachmaninov himself. 

Occupying the concert’s second half was the Third Symphony in A minor (Op.44), a work which lives in the shadow of the Second Symphony. Despite being two thirds its length and possessing the same melancholic quality and textural opulence as its predecessor, the shortcomings stood out. Paucity of gushing melodies was one, and Rachmaninov’s overarching nostalgia and struggles coming to grips with 20th century modernity (this was 1936 after all) left him an anachronism. Attempts at dissonance and grittiness in the first movement development, though well-handled by the orchestra, would pale heard alongside his compatriots Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. 

The second movement attempted something daring, by interpolating a martial scherzo-like sequence into its pages, but it was the yearning – encapsulated by guest concertmaster Andrew Haveron’s excellent solos – that became its lingering memory. 

By far the weakest movement was the finale, which began promisingly but soon petered out with a lack of thematic inspirations and ideas. What recourse was there? Throw in a furious fugato. Check. Then play around with the Dies Irae chant theme. Check. Balance all this with a slow and reflective segment. Check. Give Jin Ta’s solo flute extra work to do before an hasty coda and requisite big bang to close. Little wonder the applause was less vociferous than for the concerto or the whole of last week’s concerts. The musicians, who did their jobs well, were not culpable, so does the blame fall on poor Rachmaninov? 

Star Rating: ***

Here is the link to the original article on Bachtrack:

Satisfying second part to Singapore Symphony’s Rachmaninov anniversary bash | Bachtrack

ARMEN BABAKHANIAN Piano Recital / Review

ARMEN BABAKHANIAN Piano Recital

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory 

Orchestral Hall

Tuesday (16 January 2024)

Piano fanciers and long-time followers of the international piano competition circuit will recognise the name of Armen Babakhanian, the Armenian pianist who first burst onto the scene at the 1993 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He was one of six finalists, remembered for his serious demeanour and super-intense performances. A few years later, he was also among the prize-winners at the 1996 Leeds International Piano Competition.

These days, Babakhanian lives in Kuala Lumpur and is one of the most highly respected piano pedagogues in Malaysia. Among his students is Singapore's Toby Tan, who commutes regularly to have lessons with him. Under his watch, Toby won prizes in several youth international piano competitions, including in Aarhus (Denmark) and Zhuhai (China). Babakhanian's solo recital at the Conservatory showed exactly why he is in great demand.

Photo: Toby Tan

Opening with two contrasting Beethoven sonatas, he crafted with utter simplicity the opening themes of the Sonata in E flat major (Op.27 No.1), one of two sonatas which carry the Quasi una fantasia description (the other is the Moonlight Sonata). It was plain spoken but totally lyrical, contrasted with the torrent-like waves of sound in the second movement. In the chorale-like third movement, he found a prayerful countenance, which returned like a deja vu dream as a counter to the finale's total busyness, a magical moment if any.    

What followed was the Sonata in F minor (Op.57), better known as the Appassionata, and what an intense reading it was. Babakhanian knows how to create the mood, which was duly applied to the opening movement's seriousness. Here, the passion is equated to some kind of inner tragedy, and the listener is never left with any doubt as to his conception. The slow movement's variations were mere respite before the finale's coruscating drive to the abyss, a perpetuum mobile of impending doom. Here, one would marvel as his deft use of pedalling, generating crystal-clear textures amid a sea of echoing sonorities. There was no let off, and the even faster coda further upped the ante for a tumultuous finish.

Photo: Toby Tan

After a short intermission was a gripping performance of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. It seemed ironic that Babakhanian's missed notes occurred in the "simpler" movements, namely the Promenades. In between, the visuals could not have been more vividly characterised. Gnomus was stark and scary, while the troubadour in The Old Castle sang with a plaintive timelessness. The rhythm in Tuileries was playfully toyed around while Bydlo turned into the unrelenting trudge it was meant to be. The intertwined voices of Goldenburg and Schmuyle stuck out for their stridency while the Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks scampered with true lightness.

Heavy duty virtuosity would soon take over in the frenzied Marketplace of Limoges, before striking dissonances of Catacombs and eerie tremolos in the Language of the Dead held sway. The famous closing movements, Baba Yaga's Hut and Great Gate of Kiev, were a no-holds-barred display of bare-knuckled octaves and sonorous tolling bells, the sheer plethora of sound being the grandstanding conclusion.

Rapturous applause from a near full house (who doesn't welcome a free concert?) was gifted with two excellent encores with more musical pictures in mind. Rachmaninov's Etude-tableaux in A minor (Op.39 No.6), more a portrait of Big Bad Wolf than Red Riding Hood, and Chopin's C minor Etude (Op.25 No.12), sometimes known as Ocean, were tossed off with utmost passion and gratefully received. 

Photo: Toby Tan

    

RACHMANINOFF PIANO CONCERTO 2 & SYMPHONY 2 / Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Review

RACHMANINOFF 

PIANO CONCERTO 2

AND SYMPHONY 2

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Esplanade Concert Hall

12 December 2024 

This review was published on Bachtrack.com on 15 January 2024 with the title "Singapore Symphony and Garrick Ohlsson’s patrician performances distinguish Rachmaninov anniversary".

The year 2023 marked the 150th anniversary of Russian pianist-composer Sergei Rachmaninov’s birth, and 80th anniversary of his passing. Other than a single performance of Symphonic Dances last August, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under music director Hans Graf seemed to have deferred a definitive celebration until this month, with performances of the second and third symphonies and piano concertos. This was a case of better late than never. 

Veteran American pianist Garrick Ohlsson helmed the solo part in the Second Piano Concerto in C minor (Op.18). Close to 39 minutes, this had to be one of the most expansive performances encountered. The opening chords tolled lugubriously, and with the orchestra’s entry also concurring, the big melody played as a doleful dirge. As both pianist and orchestra were on the same page, it took some time for the first movement to be set alight. The kindling was Ohlsson’s fastidious and detailed fingerwork, still nimble for his 75 years, and his ability to sonorously project. The piano’s tinny treble abetted on that count, but detracted on the warmth quotient. 

The Adagio sostenuto central movement saw Ohlsson accompany several excellent wind solo, including Evgueni Brokmiller’s flute and Li Xin’s clarinet, the latter bestowed with the plummest of melodies. Weighted down by the cautious pacing, it was a slow boil that threatened to sputter out but thankfully never did, instead rising to a rapturous climax with lush string playing as the final payback. 

The finale’s scherzando aspects were well realised, with any doubt of Ohlsson’s ability to negotiate fast and tricky passages being unequivocally quashed. The big tune at the centre soared but without hint of sentimentality (an accusation regularly levelled at Rachmaninov), and the closing cadenza taken deliberately, capping the arpeggiated salvo with one brilliant rolled chord. That moment summed up this patrician performance, that one’s patience being rewarded with an unexpected but worthy coup de grace. 

Loud and prolonged applause yielded two encores: the first two Waltzes from Chopin’s Op.64, first the C sharp minor lavished with rubato galore and the D flat major (“You have to guess what this is” was his quip) with more surprises up his sleeves. 

The performance of Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony in E minor (Op.27) was similarly broad, spanning close to an hour in duration. The first movement’s introduction mirrored the concerto’s lugubriousness, but the Allegro moderato that followed compensated with a lively verve, sufficent indication this was not going to be a geriatric reading. It however skimped on the regular portamenti that coloured performances under previous music director Lan Shui, thus the cloying and more sentimental aspects of the music were all but eschewed. 

The scherzo-like second movement was volatile and exciting, essentially the Dies Irae chant sped up to be almost unrecognisable and with dance-like elements thrown in. The tumultuous central fugato was a reliving of a similar segment from Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique, but Rachmaninov was not to be denied his moment. In the Adagio, the symphony’s throbbing heart, Ma Yue’s clarinet solo was plain-spoken with clarity as its main virtue. Here, the music’s dreamy longeuers were well fleshed out under Graf’s guiding hands, before the rollicking finale’s tarantella rhythm brought the symphony to a clangourous close. 

Star Rating: ****

The original article on Backtrack may be found here:

Patrician performances distinguish Singapore's belated Rachmaninov anniversary nod | Bachtrack

Post-concert pic:

A different illumination on
National Gallery's rotunda wing.